Deputy Comptroller GI Aliyu exudes traits of maturity, humanity, intelligence and enthusiasm as a security czar whose job revolves around gate-keeping against the influx of unlawful items into the country as well as securing lawful revenue accruals to the Federal Government’s coffers
By Innocent Chukwu
Call him a rare intellectual, and you have not committed any blunder. For, he has the refined knowledge and capacity and expertise to dissect international trade environment and practices to the understanding of a layman.
One could, at the risk of sounding immodest, also refer to him as the “engine room” of his command, yet no disputes might arise. For, at the Tincan Island Port Customs Command where he serves the Nigerian government, no cargoes that have discrepancies can escape his prying eyes and those of his dedicated subordinates who have chosen to adopt discipline as their performance guide.
According to information pieced together by this medium, Deputy Comptroller GI Aliyu, the Nigeria Customs Service’s Chief who occupies the position of DC Enforcement at the Tincan Island Port Customs Command, Lagos South west Nigeria, is a visible embodiment of honour, grace, loyalty and patriotism. He is responsible for the seizure of many unlawful imports that would have passed unnoticed into the country.
Consequently, DC Aliyu, in the customs circle where he operates as a professional officer, has been roundly referred to as the Best Enforcement DC in the service at present. The reasons for this rare reference may not be unconnected with what the business community at the Tincan Island Port refers to as DC Aliyu’s crisis management and crisis resolution mechanism. Business operators at the Tincan Island Port maintain that Aliyu’s ability and capacity to manage and resolve crisis emanating from clearing processes in a win-win manner at the Enforcement Unit of customs at the port is what stands him out as rare leader with a midas touch.
Tentacle’s visit to the Enforcement Unit of the Customs Command at Tincan Island Port last month, with a team of other reporters to understand why a level of sanity and tranquil business environment has berthed to the command proved that the presence of DC Aliyu as the Enforcement Unit leader has achieved a drastic reduction in the number of illicit trade practices that were going on at the command hitherto.
A clearing and forwarding agent at the command who identified himself simply as Sam, commented that what makes DC Aliyu the rare achiever he has become at Tincan Port Customs Lagos is his ability to remain humble, gentle, truthful and honest in dealing with the business community.
Thus, Sam insisted that Aliyu’s presence has stemmed down drastically the lure for any businessmen to engage in illegal business deals or using the Command as a transit point for the importation of outlawed items.
About two months ago, the sharp and prying eyes of DC Aliyu and those of his Enforcement officers captured cargoes which contents were alleged to be hard drugs. That was under the leadership of Comptroller Adekunle Oloyede, a -no -nonsense, immediate past Customs Area Controller (CAC) of the Tincan Island Port Customs Command. Kunle was said to have turned the fortunes of the Command around for the better, especially its revenue generation and fight against smuggling in drugs and arms. It was at the high point of restoring sanity to the Tincan Island Port by Comptroller Oloyede last two months that the identified drugs smugglers berthed their illegal import at the port and tried hard to persuade both Comptroller Oloyede and DC Aliyu to accept huge sums of alleged bribes in hard currency. Specifically, the naira equivalent of the bribe offered in dollars was a whopping N50 million. Unfortunately for the drug traffickers, luck had run against them when then CAC, Oloyede and his subordinate, DC Aliyu rejected the mouth watering amount of money, but lured the alleged smugglers’ clearing agents in and arrested them with the bribe money.
Many business people at the time had praised the boss and his subordinate for the patriotic act while urging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to confer national honour on them because, according to the trading community at Tincan Port, it was a rare act for these distinguished customs chiefs to have rejected such huge sum of money under the present economic conditions in the country.
Now Tincan Island Port is calm and business friendly courtesy of DC Aliyu’s charisma and strength of character which he deploys to protect the country against hard drugs and illicit fire arms. He has warmed his way into the heart of CACs he has worked with and keep working under.
The cordial relationship that exists between the new Customs Area Controller at Tincan Island Port, Comptroller Dera Nnadi and DC Aliyu remains watertight comparable to that of childhood friends. With the able assistance of Aliyu, Comptroller Nnadi has begun to initiate leadership methods that are aimed at taking the command higher than he met it both revenue wise and security wise.
DC Aliyu never won the calmness at Tincan deploying any unprofessional style or raw high-handedness according to many freight forwarders. They maintain that he wins through persuasion, through transparency, through engagement and humble approach. They explained that Aliyu wins through the enlightenment of the business community to be aware of the dangers of illicit trade practices in international trade against their country. They also said he is winning by his sheer commitment and dedication to securing the country and achieving increased revenue generation into the Federation Account by making sure that no cargoes linked with underpayments or short payments are allowed to leave the Tincan Port gate.
Many freight forwarders told this medium that DC Aliyu has through his penchant for hard work prepared himself, perhaps without knowing it, for higher callings in future both in the Nigeria Customs Service and the nation at large.
Many stakeholders have also stressed the fact that credible middle level security officers in the mould of Aliyu should attract the attention of the national and sub-national leaders of the country for duties that require honesty, integrity and human relations.
