In the late hours of Thursday, July 25, 2024, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, led his team on an official visit to the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Musa Adamu, in Abuja. This visit aimed to foster collaboration between the two agencies and develop proactive strategies against corruption among officers and stakeholders.
During the meeting at the ICPC Headquarters, CGC Adeniyi emphasized the importance of cooperation between the Customs Service and ICPC to combat corruption. “Our reasons for collaborating with ICPC are perfect because we consider ICPC as the critical witness of government,” he said.
Adeniyi highlighted his achievements in revenue generation since taking office in 2023, noting a 70% increase in revenue over the past year. He also stressed the importance of addressing areas prone to corruption and integrity gaps within the Customs Service to enhance trade facilitation and ease of doing business.
“We believe that it is possible to take a second look at areas prone to corruption and integrity gaps by ourselves, to tackle them and bring back the glory of the country in terms of trade facilitation and ease of doing business,” Adeniyi stated.
The Customs Boss expressed optimism that forming a strong alliance with ICPC would make fighting corrupt practices easier and aid both agencies in fulfilling their mandates. “This is why I felt that we need to put ICPC amongst those critical agencies of government with which we are collaborating,” he added.
Adeniyi praised ICPC’s efforts in tracking and curtailing corrupt practices in Nigeria, highlighting the need for the commission’s assistance to address corruption within the Customs Service. He proposed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Nigeria Customs Service and ICPC to formalize this partnership and enhance transparency in the system.
ICPC Chairman Musa Adamu welcomed the CGC and his team, appreciating their initiative to collaborate with the commission. Adamu emphasized that ICPC has achieved numerous milestones in preventing corruption and partnering with stakeholders to ensure a prosperous Nigeria.
“I believe the responsibility to promote the image of this country is reposed on our shoulders, and only through sanitizing Nigeria, as well as collaborating with NCS, will we achieve greatness,” Adamu said.
Adamu suggested that one way to fight corruption is to organize capacity-building programs for traders and stakeholders, training them to avoid actions that could be considered sabotage to the national economy.
The meeting concluded with a mutual agreement on the importance of collaboration and the potential benefits of signing an MoU to formalize their efforts against corruption and promote ethical conduct in Nigeria.