PENPUSHING MEDIA CAUTIONS CUSTOMS ON PETROLEUM PRODUCTS DISCHARGE CLOSE TO BORDER

‘The recent directive by the Comptroller-General of customs to the effect that no petroleum product, no matter the tank size should be permitted to discharge in any filling station 20 km to the border is not a great idea at all as the concomitant effects of enforcing such a directive will far outweigh what the service seeks to achieve’, the communiqué reads.

Penpushing further reports that, the communiqué endorsed by the Editorial Board, emphasized, ’If indeed the decision was meant to curb smuggling  and other nefarious activities which are known to take place around the border towns then it would only serve to compound the problems presently being  encountered by  law abiding citizens who dwell and commute around the  border towns.

*Members of the Penpushing  Media Platform at the end of a discussion on the directive  noted that most significantly,  the service must appreciate that it is faced with an interesting paradox in trying to manage what happens around the border towns. This is because just as illicit activities are going on so also are legitimate business activities going on hence the need for government to strike a balance.

*Penpushing members while sharing the concern of the service said it must also embark on a series of educational awareness programmes aimed at getting the local residents, as a key stakeholder, to understand the negative impact of smuggling activities on the country’s economy.

*They pointed out that getting the local residents on the side of the service will greatly help with intelligence gathering and investigations with a view to apprehending the  “fat cats” behind smuggling rather than their “foot soldiers” currently being  targeted.

*They urged the Customs service to device means to collaborate with neighbouring border control agencies and / or services in its bid to curb smuggling and related criminal activities such as evasion of duty payments.

The Penpushing  Media,  comprising members from  all professional groups,  traditional institution and current and former political office holders, pointed out the  urgent need for the Nigerian Customs Service  to adopt and deploy  modern techniques in policing and border control, effective training of its manpower, use of scanners , drones and radars and helicopters  to bring it up to speed with the 21st century  effective border management rather than the current impulsive and peripheral means of tackling emerging border issues.