The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, has reaffirmed his commitment to improving the welfare of Customs officers across the federation by providing them quality shelters.
Adeniyi made the commitment on Thursday in Kaduna during the flag-off ceremony of the NCS housing scheme at Gidan Iyali Estate, Millennium City.
He said, “This ceremony is not the last episode of what we have planned. There are projects similar to this in Kano, Asaba, Yola, Abuja, Enugu, and Uyo ready for flag-off. The national spread is aimed at providing officers and men of the service the opportunity to access and benefit from the laudable initiative that is not just pocket friendly but also at convenient locations.”
He also recalled how the service had, on 18 December 2023, flagged off the ceremony of a similar project of 5,000 houses in Ibadan.
“The initiative was deemed expedient as some of our personnel have retired from service without a befitting home to commence the new phase of life after retirement. It is hoped that this initiative will go a long way at putting an end to the misery that have been experienced by some officers and men in the past,” Adeniyi said.
He said the initiative was part of President Bola Tinubu’s efforts to provide affordable houses to Nigerians.
He also applauded the support given to the Nigeria Customs Service by Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani.
“It is heartwarming to inform all officers that the service is going into an interface with Cooperative Mortgage Bank with the service ICT under the salary section to effectively manage the process of payments of the housing scheme,” he said.
The Customs Comptroller-General also visited the construction site of Customs Cantonment in Mando, Kaduna to ascertain the project’s progress.
Speaking to newsmen shortly after inspecting the site, Adeniyi said, “I am here this afternoon to inspect the progress of this vital project, the construction of the Customs Cantonment in Mando, Kaduna. This initiative underscores our commitment to establishing a robust and efficient infrastructure to support the operations of the Nigeria Customs Service.”
According to him, the ongoing construction of the Federal Operations Unit Zone B is essential for enhancing the operational efficiency of Customs personnel and ensuring their welfare.