Comptroller Godwin Otunla, Customs Area Controller (CAC) of Ogun 1 Command, Idiroko, Ogun State reels out numerous successes the Command records since he took over the mantle of leadership
What has been your experience since you became the Customs Area Controller (CAC) of Ogun 1 Customs Command, Idiroko?
Thank you for that question. My name is Godwin Otunla, I am the 35th Area Controller of Ogun 1 Command, Idiroko. I assumed duty here on the 24th of March 2025, and by the grace of God, my leadership-my management-has moved the Command higher than where we met it. In the area of revenue generation, our collection is a moving up. I met N10 to N15 million monthly revenue generation, you know that this Command is mainly an Enforcement Command. So, we worked hard to jerk the revenue up through various interventions-the Monitoring Unit, CIU (Customs Intelligence Unit), and my officers-all the things that were escaping here and there we channeled them through the approved route-go through the baggage, you pay the assessment, and little, little like that.
So, now we’re up to N20, N30 million monthly revenue generation, the first press briefing we had we announced N45 million revenue generation from the N15 million I met on ground when I came.
Then in anti-smuggling, we’re not relenting on our efforts. With the effort of my officers and backing of the headquarters in the areas of logistics and encouragement, we have really tried.
Now, will you say smuggling here is on the increase or decrease since you took over?
You know in the aspect of smuggling in this Ogun 1, if all Customs officers in the whole country held their hands round the borders of this country, smugglers can still pass on under their legs, under their armpits to smuggle. It is their job, they don’t have any other job, but we’re just trying to ensure that we reduce their activities to the barest minimum. So far, so good, smuggling is decreasing here since I came in because those days you would hear that at Idiroko Customs officers have killed smugglers and all that. Such thing is no longer there. Now we do our job with much intelligence, no casualties, we have not recorded any casualties since I came here by the grace of God, on both sides. Yet, we are making our seizures.
A few years back, smuggling in premium motor spirit through Idiroko Border had become scandalous. As the sitting Area Controller, what have you done to arrest the ugly trend?
In fuel smuggling, with the increase in the pump price of fuel, it has discouraged smuggling in fuel. Still, you can’t rule out fuel smuggling completely. But we have our network everywhere. In fact, the Anti-Bunkering we have here for proper monitoring and efficiency is divided into three headed by capable hands, so we’re on their neck. Smuggling in fuel is reducing because with the increase in the pump price, fuel smuggling is no longer profitable for them. Then our currency too, you know when a country’s currency is devalued there tends to be much exportation, but in the aspect of fuel smuggling, we’re not seeing them as they used to be before. We’re having increase in the other areas of export.
What do you have to say about rice smuggling?
About rice smuggling, like last month we had about 4,000 plus bags of 50kg rice seized, which is equivalent of about seven truck loads. Though rice smuggling is on daily basis, you can’t stop that because in every household now, hardly you can see where they don’t eat rice at least once or twice a day in the whole of the country. We can only reduce rice smuggling, and the way we’re tackling them as they’re devising their means, we’re always ahead of them, we’re arresting them.
What is your relationship with the border communities, the traditional rulers, the youths among such other critical stakeholders of the Command?
It has been very robust. But you know in Idiroko here you have a lot of traditional rulers, we interact with them, they come here, they visit me and some of the youths. We have been inviting them for meetings. They (youths) are even organizing a football competition now to get them engaged. The Service, with the effort of our CGC, is encouraging CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) by the Service. Now, we have identified some areas that need intervention within the community. You know, if you do something for Christian schools, the Muslims will begin to agitate, and if you do for Muslim schools, the Christians will begin to agitate. So, we’re looking for something that can bring every one of them together that we will do, and we have identified some of them.
The headquarters is helping us out, and some Commands in Lagos because the amount that is involved is huge, and we don’t have many big stakeholders in the border communities. So, some Commands in Lagos, through the effort of the former ACG, said they would come to our aid.
What are the challenges you face in the course of carrying out these tasks?
You cannot rule out challenges; challenges are meant for men, and it is the man that will solve the problem. We have challenges in the area of logistics, our CGC is trying but we still need more. Some of our equipment, like bulletproof jacket, some of them are going bad and we have applied for new ones which will be supplied very soon. The headquarters is trying, but you know you can’t get everything you want at once, you can’t get it all because you know this place is wide, it covers Ijebu Ode, Meko, it’s almost the whole of Ogun State.
What is the level of motivation for the officers who are working hard to achieve these results?
Like some big seizures we made recently, we got letters from the headquarters. You know every year, January 26 is the International Customs Day; the Service gives awards to outstanding officers. We have sent some names, and during our parades we encourage them to do more and we appreciate them.
Can you comment on the level of imports under your watch?
Imports here are very low. They complain of our roads unlike at Seme where the roads are better. What I have always told them whenever I invited them is that though the roads are ancient, the authorities are doing something to put them in good shape. That is one of the major constraints when we talk of import. We’re encouraging them to come but no businessman would want to risk his goods on bad roads. It is the roads that they are complaining about.
