The Nigeria Customs Service(NCS) has continued to reaffirm its commitment to collaboration and stakeholder engagement as the Customs Area Controller of the Ibeto Seaport Area 5 Command, Comptroller Usman Yahaya, hosted delegations from the Bundu Ama community and the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) at the Command headquarters in Port Harcourt.
According to a press release signed on 23 February 2025 by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Chief Superintendent of Customs Tangwa Emmanuel, the visits highlighted the Service’s policy thrust on collaboration championed by the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi.
The Bundu Ama community leaders, who visited the Command around 1400 hours, commended Comptroller Yahaya’s humility, openness and inclusive leadership style. They described his warm reception as a sign of trust and pledged their continued support toward sustaining peace and stability within the Command’s operational environment.
Responding, the CAC expressed appreciation for the visit and stressed that strong relationships with host communities are vital to the effective discharge of Customs’ statutory responsibilities. He reaffirmed his readiness to deepen engagement and participate in community-oriented initiatives, noting that mutual trust, respect, and shared responsibility create the most conducive environment for Customs operations. He also praised the community for maintaining peace in the area.
“Sustained collaboration with host communities and sister agencies remains indispensable to the effective discharge of our mandate. Customs thrives best in an atmosphere of mutual trust, respect, and shared responsibility,” he said.
Similarly, the Command received a NESREA delegation led by South-South Zonal Director, Angela Iwobi, who commended the CAC’s open-door policy and expressed the agency’s interest in strengthening cooperation with Customs to enhance environmental compliance and regulatory efficiency at the seaport.
Welcoming the delegation, Comptroller Yahaya emphasised that Customs operations require synergy with sister government agencies to achieve national objectives. He assured NESREA of the Command’s full support in facilitating its mandate, reiterating that inter-agency collaboration remains a strategic priority for institutional effectiveness.
