Deputy Comptroller of Customs, Ibrahim Turaki, has carved his name in gold for exhibiting great excellence, intelligence and bravery in discharging his duties at various formations of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS)
By Innocent Chukwu
Everything he touches turns to gold. Uncommon success trails his footsteps wherever he finds himself in the service of fatherland. Though he may not understand why it happens that way since he started public service because it is an act of God. Thus some of the times many of the uncommon successes he has achieved for Nigeria as a customs officer puzzled him. But he never boasts with his performances which have got him an unforgettable position in the success book of public service.
Deputy Comptroller of Customs (DC) Ibrahim Turaki appears to have an uncommon intelligence that magnetizes success to any office where he has discharged his duties. For this reason, at present, the Apapa Area 1 Customs Command, Lagos under the leadership of Comptroller Babatunde Olomu who is reputed for the capacity to identify and collect hidden revenues, can boast of generating about N18 billion in a single day, courtesy of DC Turaki being in charge of the acclaimed largest container terminal in the West African subregion. Turaki is the current Deputy Comptroller in charge of the APMT Container Terminal located in the Apapa Premier Port, Lagos, and a large chunk of revenue generation by the Apapa Area 1 Customs Command comes from the APMT Container Terminal.
Any wonder why both the Customs Area Controller (CAC) of the Command, Dr. Olomu and his loyal subordinate, DC Turaki, have an uncommon rapport and bonding, this is for the good of the entire nation economically and security wise.
Deputy Comptroller Turaki is as enthusiastic as he is optimistic about life in general, and in particular his career in the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS). He embodies patience and desire for success. Thus, even though Providence had denied him desired promotion in rank on several occasions, his enthusiasm has never diminished.
Thus, as he hopes to attain the highest position in rank he is capable of in the job of trade facilitation, anti-smuggling and revenue generation for the NCS, he is the Head of the APMT Container Terminal, a position he deploys to full capacity to help the Federal Government maximize revenue collection from the Apapa Premier Port.
A peep into the antecedent of DC Turaki will readily reveal an uncommon officer of Customs who has in his profile the reputation of having been awarded the Nigeria Customs “Best Revenue Collection Officer”. Interestingly, Turaki has received the rare award on two occasions.
The memory of Turaki’s contribution to destabilizing smuggling activities at the Seme Border Area Command in those days when Abdullahi Inde Dikko was the Comptroller General of Customs (CGC), is still fresh in the minds of the stakeholders of that command. While at the border command, Turaki served in various capacities, chiefly among them being the Officer-in-Charge (O/C) of the Seme Border Area Command’s Import and Export Seat. He dutifully deployed that position to wage radical war against smuggling, and achieved huge success that has not been equaled till moment. There at the border, he became the Man-Friday of the various CACs he served under due to his suave approach to the numerous anti-smuggling exploits he undertook.
Also, while serving at the Seme Border Area Command, DC Turaki was said to have become a bridge builder between the NCS and local communities and stakeholders as his peaceful mediations became the icing on the cake whenever there were issues between the Command and the communities. Communities around the border are said to still be missing Turaki’s soft-spoken approach to volatile issues. Many refer to him as the “man of peace”. This is because the traditional rulers and Chiefs of those communities around the border regarded Turaki as a man with a special endowment to tackle troublesome issues and bring opposing sides to mutual understanding and agreement.
A man of excellent intelligence, Turaki now at the helm of affairs at the APMT Container Terminal, appears to be bearing within his belly the solution to the challenges faced by Customs licensed agents during the process of clearing cargoes out of the General Cargo Unit which he oversees. Currently at the APMT, tranquility reigns. The hitherto volatile business and trading environment that used to burst with human traffic as clearing agents scrambled to find their way inside, has become an environment of orderliness since Turaki took over as the O/C Terminal. Both customs officers and clearing agents have been compelled to be orderly and law abiding while conducting their business.
In terms of illicit trading activities which are inevitably expected at such a large terminal, Turaki is said to have perfected a design to block all routes to smuggling, including false declaration, concealment of unlawful cargoes, short payment and non-payment of duties. However, he has also increased trade facilitation abilities of his office in line with Comptroller Olomu’s agenda for maximum revenue generation and zero tolerance for unnecessary delays in the course of cargo clearing.
Hence, smugglers have vacated APMT Container Terminal, the same feat Turaki achieved at Seme Border Area Command. The import of these excellent measures is to maximize the potential of Apapa Port revenue yield to the Federal Government. The result is mind-blowing: about N18 billion revenue generation by Apapa Area 1 Customs Command in a single day.
Gentle and calm Turaki is also said to be a loyal subordinate. He does not crave unnecessary public notice, yet his achievements wherever he found himself, have turned him to the proverbial “gold fish that has no hiding place”.
