Comptroller Godwin Aderounmu Otunla, who assumed duties as Customs Area Controller of Ogun 1 Area Command of the Nigerian Customs Service Idiroko, Ogun State on Thursday 24th of April 2025 has continued to build on existing successes, strengthening the fight against smuggling and emphasizing his commitment to professionalism and integrity in customs operations.
The Comptroller, in an exclusive interview with a group of selected journalists at the command's headquarters in Idiroko last Friday in the presence of the Public Relations Officers of the Command, CSC Chado Zakari revealed strategies he has adopted in achieving his mandate of trade facilitation, anti smuggling and revenue generation not leaving out officers welfare at the command.
Excerpts:
Question: Sir, having served for upward of 34 years now and reaching the pinnacle rank of Comptroller of Customs, and Customs Area Controller, how would you describe the feelings sir?
Response: Yes, am very, very elated with good feelings. There was no iota of any fear in me because I was already prepared for the job. Once you get to the Comptrollership level, anything can happen. So bringing me to Idiroko, I am very very happy. The dream of any officer is to be a Comptroller, my feelings are just haywire.
Question: Sir, you assumed duties six months ago, how far have you brought in your expertise to bear in achieving core mandates of Nigeria Customs Service and set goals within the Command?
Response: We are just few days to six months. The first thing I touched is reducing the lengthy period of guard duty Officers to enhance efficiency. I looked at the case, the period, the length of their duty is a full month which is rather too much. So, I reduced it to two weeks for more efficiency. When they work for two weeks, and another person takes over for another two weeks, this will enhance efficiency.
Other things we’ve done here at the head office includes: lighting up everywhere, buying solar, fittings among others. Likewise at the barracks too, we trimmed some of the trees that have fallen on our buildings, trimmed their branches.
We also engaged stakeholders on how to move things forward at Idiroko border, so that everyone will be busy with legitimate business and not engaged in illegal activities. If you have lots of activities going on around here, everyone will be busy, and that was the first thing we did, and thank God things are coming back gradually.
On the events of customs killing smugglers or smugglers killing customs in Idiroko, we have not recorded anything of such since I resumed duty here. So, I thank God for that, and we promised to maintain such without stopping our activities. That has been our way here.
Question: Having put your expertise to bear in achieving the afore mentioned, what personal niche. What are those things you have done differently in Ogun 1 Command since you assumed office as CAC here in Idiroko Border Sir?
Response: By leveraging Information technology and intelligence. you know in our act, we spent a lot of money on information. We make use of intelligence to actualise our goal. The Service allows us to make use of intelligence and any information we see that we think its okay, we treat it and it gives us results. Also, Officers’ welfare is very important to us, we engaged in regular brainstorming sessions with the management team to identify and address potential issues affecting our officers’ working directly with them. I believe when you prioritise their welfare and treat them well that they will work for you efficiently and effectively. This approach has been key to achieving our core mandates.
Question: How have you contributed to ‘Customs Cares’ Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative since you took over the mantle of Leadership here in Ogun 1 Command?
Response: Our Command here is very large, we have identified some areas that needed intervention and we are working on them. We have notified headquarters too. Some of the Commands in Lagos have promised to assist in the areas we have identified because the cost is huge and at Idiroko here, we don’t have big stakeholders that can come to our aid but the little we can do, we are doing it. Recently, through our Customs Officers Wives Association (COWA), they visited some communities and General hospital where they distributed mosquito nets and other items and currently they are doing an empowerment programme.
If you visit their secretariat, you will meet them training and by the time they finish the training in November, they will be empowered. That is the one we are doing now but for the big one we have identified and it will be addressed soon.
Question: Sir, some chiefs and residents of the community recently lodged complaints that the Camp Boys fondly called ‘Kelebe’ always distraught their activities and they alleged that the boys work for Customs. What is your perception on this and what is management doing to curb their menace on the road?
Response: The camp boys (kelebe) are not part of the system, we have always warned our officers on the use of kelebe. Even on our parades we raised the issue. These boys are like needles without threads. If they commit any offense, they will disappear and the officers will be held responsible. It’s not a norm for camp boys to check vehicles at checkpoints. In fact, there is a task force at Idiroko here to go against ‘kelebes’ and officers who are not in uniforms on duty. These Camp boys are recalcitrant, you warned them, they will come back again, just like smuggling, we cannot eradicate them, we can only reduce them to bearest minimum. And for those not in uniform and are on duty at the checkpoints, we keep warning them and there are punishments for whoever violates the order. So that is it. You see our Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi mfr, even if he is going to remove his uniform to observe the jumat prayers, once he comes back to the office he puts on his uniform. And these days, he goes to the mosque with his uniform, so who are you as a custom officer, except you are in the intelligence unit, who are you not to wear uniform while on duty?
You know with uniform, you can even exercise your power. But if I see you like this now in mufti, no matter the rank, if you touch me, I can touch you back. Yes, but no matter how small the uniform is. You respect the uniform. So we’ve been saying it, we keep on saying it, and there are punishments for whoever violates the order. So that is it.
Question: What are the challenges you encountered since you assumed duty as Customs Area Controller of the Command and how have you been tackling the identified problems?
There are lots of challenges encountered, we have the communal own, we are living in the community, many of our officers are living within their midst. And you see this area, from Sango to this place, or let’s say from Owode to this place, no industry, no factory, even the Power Holding Company that comes here often are not giving us light. The youths resort to smuggling activities, and we are on their heels which sometimes result to clash.
To manage the situation, we engaged the community leaders to talk to their youths at least to stop these ideas and get engage in meaningful businesses. We are using mediation to suppress the communal challenges we encountered.
Then our internal challenges, you know this place is mostly anti-smuggling area, every single patrol team needs a vehicle, at least an operational vehicle. We have challenges of vehicles, but our headquarters, the more they are pumping in vehicles to us, the more we seek for more. We are like Oliver Twist, asking them for more. We need more vehicles.
Then on the aspects of the weapons, we have enough, we don’t have challenges on that. We are engaging the communities and other stakeholders, our sister security agencies, we are engaging them on how to go about this, and they are helping us. We get intelligence from the DSS too, You know Customs is the major centre at the borders. Every tax collector, to the people are not loving the community. They are seen as enemies of the community. And if you say, who wants to join Customs? Everybody will rise up. But who hates Customs everybody will still rise up. So we are soft targets, and with that, we are guarding ourselves jealousy.
Then the aspect of electricity is there, the light you see is generator, which is backed up by solar. The national grid is connected, there is no energy in the wires you are seeing. The national grid is not efficient in this community, we’ve written to update them on the light status. Just this week, we sent a letter to them at Abeokuta, informing them that if they don’t improve their supply to this area, we are going to take it higher. They wrote us back requesting us to provide them three motorcycles for patrol purposes to checkmate those vandalising their equipment. They might have improved in other places but not in Idiroko here. Here, they used to have light once or twice a month for just six hours. So those are the challenges. Then the scanning machine here is not functional we make use of manual examination, if they can put everything in place, we are good to go.
Question: Sir, we can sat that the Command is well equipped for the fight against smuggling, how have you been managing the community relationship as regards anti-smuggling?
Response: The community relationship as regards our anti-smuggling activities has been very robust. We use the royal fathers, we engaged them to talk to their youths because we are sent here by the government to curb illegal activities. So, we are doing our job, with intelligence, seizures are coming in. We arrest the ones we can and I’ve told my officers, if you pursue this one today, and you can’t get him, just leave him. He will still come tomorrow. They don’t have any other work, no industries, nothing at all and we make sure we don’t use our firearms anyhow, this is because you may want to target a tyre and the bullet will go straight to a farmer. Then there will be riots and we will start what we call damage control again. So it’s better to curb it.
Question: With cursory look at Trade Facilitation and the targets accorded to the Command, how do you intend achieving your targets, while addressing the challenges mentioned above?
Response: We are doing it. These are our traders, all they kept telling us is that the road is bad unlike Seme road and I tell them the road is very patient. It is the users that are not patient. Our road is very patient. If you are patient with your vehicles, your vehicles will not fall. On our target, you know this place is purely anti-smuggling area, we are to fight smugglers, to secure the nation’s border against the incursion of all these trans-border crimes. So with God on our side, we are moving gradually, and before the year runs out, we will be able to render something meaningful to the government.
Question: Your leadership here at Ogun 1 Customs Command has been described as ‘people- orientated; we would like to know how you will evaluate such a perception in comparison with your officers and men towards your administration, particularly in terms of their welfare, staff motivation, and overall morale within the Command?
Response: Hmmm! Good question. With the way I was brought up, in this job by my past bosses, the training I received from most of them is to operate an open door policy. Just bring your complaint to me straight, no matter how small you are as an officer, my door is open 24/7.
Call me, i will listen to you and anyhow I can intervene in your personal business, i will.
Then every morning we meet in this small office with my management team to discuss our issues. We talk about our officers’ welfare, which Abuja is really trying for us and the barracks accommodation is there, when you work, close at night, you have a place to rest your head. Unlike when people were sleeping in their cars. We have improvements in the barracks accommodation.
The buildings that are not good, like a whole floor of the building, that is the top most floor or the roof was blown off, where nobody could stay there, we have fixed it. People have moved in. The clinic is there for them, if they are sick. We have drugs. We have everything and our doctors are going around checking blood pressure and sugar level and other vital test, So with all these, I can say what they said about the administration, describing it as people-orientated is true. The morale is high. The officers are working. Because you can imagine one of my officers intercepted a big vehicle, Rolls-Royce on this road. You can imagine the amount of money they might have offered that officer and he refused, rather he brought the Rolls-Royce to the station.
So, there are some things that ordinarily, an officer with a stable mind would do, which the one with a troubled mind will not do. So i encourage them to even visit their families if the need arose. This will give them settled mind. That has been the system.
Question: On technology and innovation, how have you leveraged technology such as scanners and other equipment to enhance efficiency and effectiveness of Customs operations at Idiroko Command of Ogun 1 Command?
Response: You see, for scanners, I’ve talked about scanners, I said our scanners are not working. So we are using manual labour to do our examinations. We use ICT, computers for our online meetings with the headquarters. Our B-Odogwu system is technology. Anytime they send a correspondence to us from the headquarters, we use the technology to access it, the technology here is working, except for scanners, all other ones are working. Through intelligence we are getting the activities of smugglers in Nigeria. Then with phone calls we get information, and it’s very effective because once the smugglers are loading in the bush, we get the information here through phone calls.
Question: Since the official reopening of land borders, of which Idiroko was among the four in second batch of 2022, what has changed in the business environment of Idiroko Border and what can Customs do to make sure traders don’t misuse opportunities created by the reopening of the borders?
Response: Anytime I read about the closure of the borders, honestly I always feel bad about it. The closure really affected Idiroko business but since the reopening of the borders, activities have not picked as normal unlike before the closure, I know what used to be here, we see trucks here but that closure was about two years or more which really damages Idiroko. We are trying to bring them back and I think the reopening of the border is only the Idiroko, Imeko has not been opened likewise Ohunbe. In Lagos too, its only Seme that was opened. Owode- Apa is not opened. We are praying very soon they may consider reopening all other ones so that trade can flow.
Question: Six months on in the saddle as CAC Ogun Command; as you sit in charge of the Command here in Idiroko Border, so far has there been any regret about your posting to head Customs Administration at Ogun One sir?
Response: Not at all. I have no regrets. I was prepared for this job as I told you earlier I was really prepared. You see Idiroko here, everyday we get to settle a new problem. Its like a customary court you see agitation here and there and I have no regrets about it, it rather energises me.
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