The Strike Force Zone A Command of the Nigeria Customs Service in the South west zone intensifies efforts to up the ante in the recovery of lost revenues as well in the enforcement of statutory laws against smuggling and other illicit business deals under a dogged Zonal Co-ordinator, AM Alkali
The name, Alkali AM, sounds synonymous with terror in the camps of die-hard smugglers in the South west region. The Zonal Commander of the “Strike Force” Zone A, Lagos, of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), has since last February he took over the leadership of the team been rejiging the command’s modus operandi to secure the best approach and strategy to achieve the mandate given to him the NCS management, which includes the suppression of all kinds of smuggling in South west region, and also recover revenues belonging to the Federal Government but illicitly cornered by unpatriotic elements.
Deputy Comptroller of Customs (DC), Alkali, is not a new hand in the job of policing against trade malpractices and illicit imports and exports. In fact, Alkali was lifted from the Strike Force Zone C Command, Port Harcourt, Rivers State in the South south Zone of the federation where he raised the bar on anti-smuggling, resulting in exponential seizures and revenue recovery. His performances at the Zone C Strike Force Command may have earned him the elevation to head the Zone A of the team.
To prove his mettle, DC Alkali, aside rejiging the Zone A team to suit his strategy to accomplish more than his predecessors, started making big impact on the zone, recording a seizure of over 500 bags of rice within the very first week of his resumption. This is apart from other big seizures the command recorded the same week.
Kicking off from those seizures of his resumption week, the Team A Strike Force, Lagos, appears to be moving from strength to strength in achieving big, unprecedented seizures, as well as recovering revenues for the Federal Government via the instrument of Debit Note (DN) being issued importers and their agents for offences of under payment of duties.
DC Alkali has an uncommon motivating factor in his new posting: A deep- seated inner resolve to outperform all who have headed the command before him, in good faith. Here him succinctly, “I’m trying to surpass the record of my predecessors. We’re also doing much on improving our revenue recovery aspect through the instrument of DN. We are confident that we are able to achieve our mandate. Thus, all officers under me have been charged to put in their best, and they are doing their best in all areas of our operation.”
Giving the firm resolve, it is expected that in the months ahead, the Strike Force Team A will be rooting out die-hard smugglers in the South west Zone. Already, there are insinuations in some quarters that clearing agents who do not possess clean slate in their business profile have begun to panic due to the perceived scorecard of DC Alkali in revenue recovery and suppression of smuggling activities. Close associates of DC Alkali agree that what works magic for him is the fact that he is an experienced hand in customs anti-smuggling war.
Before his sojourn at the Zone C Command of the Strike Force, Alkali had worked at the Strike Force Team A, Lagos as a terminal Team Manager under the Apapa Area 1 Customs Command. Given his wealth of experience in the fight against smuggling, officers and men of the Team A believe that Alkali’s leadership will take the command far higher than he met it in terms of record achievements.
