Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal, the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adeniyi, and Senator Abdulaziz Yari have urged Customs officers and other stakeholders to ensure effective implementation of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023 to strengthen the national economy.
They made the call on Tuesday in Abuja at the public presentation and launch of Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023: Historical Context, Service Reforms and Predicament of Application, authored by retired Customs Comptroller Abdullahi Bello Gusau.
The event was held at the Ahmed Makarfi Hall of the Nigeria Customs Service Command and Staff College, Gwagwalada.
Adeniyi, who was the chief host, said the book addressed the challenges involved in moving from the previous 65-year-old legal framework to the new statutory regime.
Represented by the Commander, Training and Doctrine Command, DCG Suleiman Ciroma, the Customs boss said laws could only achieve their objectives through effective implementation.
“Laws do not enforce themselves; they are applied by people within a dynamic economic ecosystem,” he said.
Adeniyi said the book examined operational adaptability, stakeholder alignment and jurisdictional clarity in implementing the 2023 Act.
He urged Customs officers and other stakeholders to study the book and use it to promote compliant trade.
“Let it be a guide for compliant trade. The NCSA 2023 was not designed to punish; it was designed to protect Nigerian businesses, secure and boost the national economy,” he said.
Lawal, who was represented by the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Acacia African Commodity Exchange, Alhaji Usman Balarabe, congratulated the author for documenting his decades of experience in the Customs Service.
He said the publication would contribute to the institutional memory of the service and support efforts to reform Nigeria’s foreign trade system.
The Chairman of the occasion and former National Security Adviser, General Aliyu Muhammed Gusau (retd.), also commended the publication.
Represented by the Danmasanin Gusau, Alhaji Shehu Umar Sambo, Gusau said the book would serve as a reference point for Customs officers, professionals and other stakeholders.
He urged serving and retired officers to emulate the author by documenting their professional experiences and contributing to knowledge.
Yari, who was the chief launcher, described the book as a reflection of the author’s distinguished career in the Customs Service.
Represented by former Zamfara State Governor Mahmud Aliyu Shinkafi, Yari said the attendance of stakeholders from several states demonstrated the author’s professional standing.
The Sultan of Sokoto was represented by the Sarkin Burmin Jabo, Alhaji Aliyu Garba.
The book was reviewed by the Commandant of the Nigeria Customs Command and Staff College, Gwagwalada, ACG Dow Gaura.
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