Against the backdrop of ban on importation of some commodities through theland borders into the country, Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwalhas urged the Nigerian Customs Service to review its policies by giving ita human face so as to reduce the hardships faced by border communities. Tambuwal stated this Monday when he received the Controller General ofCustoms, Col Hamid Ali (rtd) who led a team on a visit to Sokoto GovernmentHouse.
“I’m sure you know how tough things are in the country. So I appeal to youto always implement policies with human face. If certain policies areintroduced with take a vast majority of people out of jobs, I appeal to youto consider introducing palliatives to mitigate the effect of the hardshipthey will face,” the Governor said. On the ban on importation of rice through land borders, Tambuwal urged thecustoms to be flexible.
“Before we become self-sufficient in riceproduction, I urge you to show some flexibility in the policy. While insisting that the long term benefit of the policy is not in doubt,Tambuwal said since many in the country are faced with weak purchasingpower, it is imperative that the policy is reviewed to ensure price ofcommodities are within the reach of the common man.
While commending Ali for instilling discipline in the Customs, Tambuwalurged him not to relent until the revenue base of the federation hasincreased. Earlier in his remarks, the Controller General acknowledged that the lastyear has been a difficult one for the paramilitary organization. “From revenue target of N80 billion monthly, we are now struggling to getN45 to 50 billion every month. So this is not the best of times for us butwe are working to overcome our challenges,” he added.
