Closing speach on behalf of international participants for Japanese International Cooperation Agency`s (JICA) ‘CUSTOMS ADMINISTRATION’s COURSE’ 2013, Japan

The Deputy Director General, Tokyo International Centre JICA Mr. Hisanao NODA,
The Assistant Director General, Office of Technical Cooperation, MOF, Japan Mr Jun TAJIMA,
Distinguished Resource Persons from the Customs Training Institute, Japan,
Programme Officer, Customs Administrations Course, Mr Shinichi NOGUCHI,
My dear Colleagues
Ladies and Gentlemen

My names are ALFA, IBRAHIM ADAMU

It is my privilege to be permitted to give this closing remark on behalf of JICA ‘CUSTOMS ADMINISTRATION’s COURSE’ 2013 participants. It is particularly heartening to note that each of the ten of us was chosen by his Administration to take part in this prestigious programme after a careful scrutiny. Having thoroughly gone through the experience we will never be the same again as our eyes have been more opened and our understanding of Customs as a profession is more enhanced. Here, Deputy Director General Sir, are ten refreshened, remodelled multi-national Customs officers whose vision of the profession has been accorded a new perspective.  

‘Customs Administration’s course as offered by JICA comprehensively encapsulates the whole of Customs procedure in its current theory and practice. In-fact any Customs Administration that wishes to modernise its systems and processes should not fail to understudy the Japanese system, for Japan is the epitome of best practice in International Customs Procedure.

I must confess also that the Resource Persons we had throughout the process (from Tokyo to Nagoya) are the best any Customs Administration would be lucky to have. In the final analysis however Japanese Customs Officers are the best.

I seek your permission sir to thank the entire staff of JICA Tokyo and JICA Chubu (led by our programme officer Mr. Shinishi Noguchi), CTI, Tokyo and Nagoya Customs (led by Ms. Yukako Mochizuki) for their resourcefulness and warm accommodation.

We want, most importantly, to appreciate the pleasant company of Kobayashi-San, our amiable moderator for this programme for her patience, guidance and understanding throughout the programme. We are going to miss you Ms Rei Kobayashi but we shall continue to keep and cherish your memory when we go back to our respective countries.

We will like to assure you Sir that we are going to be priced assets to our Administrations. We wish also to humbly announce that we undertake to be worthy ambassadors of JICA and Japan’s Customs in whatever capacity we find ourselves in future.

At this juncture I will like to share with you some of our personal observations of the Japanese people among whom we were privileged to live in the last 18 days. We feel that the Japanese Society is Careful, Patient and Consistent. Japanese are Charitable and Accommodating. Japan’s physical environment is clean and friendly. The people are healthy and fit.

The Japanese nation has the following astonishing contrasts:

It is ‘Hi Tech’ in all ramifications but ‘Traditional’ in its attitude,

            It seems ‘Complex’ when you are new but very ‘Simple’ when you live therein,
             It is ‘Ambitious’ in its vision yet ‘modest’ in its methodology,
            It is ‘masculine’ in its strength but ‘feminine’ in its sympathy,
             It is ‘capitalist’ in orientation yet ‘humane’ in its behaviour,
             It is ‘strict’ on guidelines yet ‘free’ in its application of those guidelines.
             It is ‘old’ in age but refreshingly ‘young’ in its outlook’.

The Japanese people appreciate where they come from and are focussed unto where they are going. Japan is a happy society with a very strong spirit. A spirit of Persistence, Perseverance and Triumph. A spirit of compliance to constituted authority. A ‘Leading Spirit’ behind which other people look and follow.

Director General Sir, we are happy to be associated with Japan and its Customs Administration through JICA. We will miss Japan and its people. But we have gained knowledge and wisdom for which our societies would hopefully be the better for. We have also made friends for life.

We therefore have the singular honour to express our personal as well as our respective Administrations’ most profound gratitude for this opportunity.

Thank you for your attention.

(At JICA, TOKYO on 28^th May, 2013)

Human Beings

Humans are but pleasant pieces of Almighty's creation,

Of different colours and shapes,

Women and men of variegated tongues,

Of different beliefs, opinions and thoughts,

Living in locations both near and far,

In whether conditions both hostile and safe,

Some rich, some poor yet some are both,

Common illiterate folks with poverty and disease,

And high of class in power and means,

Some very happy yet some are not,

A lot living in peace yet many in war,
'The good, the bad and the ugly' lot,
Yet all are humans created by God,

                                                To share the universe to make it or mar.

TRAVEL

When life contracts, travel!

When debt grips thee, migrate!!

When ends can’t be met, leave!!!

Change thine habitation,

For abundance is spread,

Over the breadth of this earth,

Go search its dwelling place,

It`s all but yours.

Recount the constituents though,

For your quest to see the day,

Refine thine intentions,

Keep open your mind.

Cheat not,

Conspire not,

Labour sincerely,

Be always grateful

Render a helping hand,

When need comes handy,

Were such to be:

`Please show me the way to the river`.

Be conscientiously thankful,

For favours put in your way,

For being able to use your limbs,

And your sense, for your good.

NEPA

Whenever I think of NEPA (Nigeria's National Electricity Power Authority) I feel like saying:

"Busy old" ragamuffin, 

Unruly, inept hippo,

Why dost thou thus 24/7,

Confine us to perpetual darkness?

Must to thine motion Nigerian people live?

Who, pray, does not spend 

Out of his widow's mite....,

A good chunk to make for lightening?

An investment compelled, but lost

To the labyrinthine world of NEPA's ineptitude

When wilt thou ever bring light forth?

Do you approve of your work to see?

Would you ever overcome in a sea?

When you never swim successfully in a pool?

Wouldn`t Nigerians shout...

Oh NEPA!!!!!!!

Thou art a "saucy pedantic wretch"???

Time

Oh time, how thou move so fast?
Procrastinate not for time would find thee no accommodation, 
How cristally I recall events past as though they pass by a wink?
Would I follow same life pattern were time to rewind a scratch? 
Nay!! I would choose to deepen mine service by a different path.
May the chance be granted us to benefit humanity,
In our variegated capacities, 
With what little remains of our earthly sojourn.
So we pray to God (SWT)

WISDOM

Attribute sublime,
And what, pray, constitutes wisdom?
Understand well, act well, wish well.
To neighbors, relations and friends,
To everyone with whom thou associate,
To animals in water and land,
To all things set for the public good,
Won't thou wish for tranquility and peace?
For every soul made sacred?
By the most Magnificent and Merciful.
'Whoever is imbued with wisdom`,
 Certainly,  `is given blessings immeasurable'

NCS takes over its destiny 1st December 2013

The `ides` of December `are` come,

It is the 1st of December 2013,

Appointed for final disengagement of

Risk Management and Scanning technology service providers,

Global Scan, Cotecna, SGS et al,...
Nigeria Customs Service takes over its destiny,
To deliver quality service to its clients,
Based upon knowledge and best technology 
Using home grown tools with quality assurance.

International trade practitioners, analysts, academics and pundits,
Have thou known what is `PAAR` and/or `Single window`?
Are you conversant with requirements to import or export?
Process of goods clearance at the ports.
Do you require certifications, licenses or permits,
Before you come in or go out with what you want?
Which taxes are applicable to which agency at which rate?
Log unto the international trade portal: www.nigeriatradehub.gov.ng
And be guided on the above and much more.

I felicitate with my colleagues and the Service,
Our indefatigable Management team,
The various committees and tasks delivery groups
Who work over the years to ensure everything works,
With appropriate tools and competent human resource,
Using modern Customs techniques,
To ensure transparency, predictability and simplicity,
On the modus-operandi of Customs practices.
For national development and welbeing of the citizen.

Modernisation

When the new Management of the NCS set to modernize our Service to address the ever increasing challenges of international trade and related security and expectations of the trading community it initiated an aggressive modernization programme. These included a robust HRD drive, automation of procedure, employment of scanning and Risk management technology, living wage and adequate welfare for staff etc, etc. I thought about and composed the following verses:

Have you checked your Vision to see?

For, at tandem, with your Mission it should be,

Lest you shall be stranded at Sea,

Then, perhaps, loose the capacity to lead,

Your flock to the envisaged venue you foresee.

Objectives you must carefully Design,

Methodology as well, well aligned,

Wouldn’t manpower be appropriately assigned?

And resources identified and organized?

The process then kick-started and consigned?

Yester years our men were many,

Our offices also many and many,

Yet our job was performed as any,

With less heed nor remorse, not funny,

‘It was routine’, it was said with canny.

With little skilled manpower and logistics,

Ever inadequate to justify our obligations,

Our mandate vis a vis government expectations,

Could hardly be achieved to our satisfaction,

And so we moved with spent aspirations.

Our border enforcement was akin to ‘what do you carry?’

Even for goods not among what the prohibitions carry?

The ‘Long Room’ was long and procedure did vary,

From Sokoto, Lagos to Port Harcourt and Warri,

Then the trader was left in agony and worry.

  

Consider the tremendous level of achievement,

In the last few years of careful development,

As our system was visited with incredible enhancement,

Our human resources ditto with astonishing improvement,

‘Best Practice’, ‘knowledge based’ accomplishment.

Full automation has replaced the manual conditioning,

We employ the scanner and analyse image in examining

All consignments brought in or taken out by managing,

Their Risk through robust and competent targeting,

Everything works thanks to meticulous repositioning.

Officers are now clothed and accommodated,

Their salaries and privileges well upgraded,

Their integrity and position appreciated,

As their limits on the job are stated,

For only their best output is expected.

Modern Customs with unlimited potential,

Officers now are truly professional,

Their dedication and loyalty phenomenal,

Reliable, predictable and exceptional,

Focused, Result oriented and proficient.

Our vision for the job increases by the day,
We`re integrating the border crossings to eliminate delays,
Harmonising operations with bodies with stakes,
all agencies brought together to facilitate trade,
In a Single Window platform as a one stop stage.

Our Management team operates like no other,

They steer our ship and cruise just in order,

The ACGs, DCGs and the CGC along the ladder,

Appreciated by the Government, WCO and the wider

Society for their foresight and competence more than all others.

Goron Dutse

The Customs Training College, Goron Dutse Kano, is the pioneer Customs training institution of Nigeria with history spanning over fifty years. It is a serene environment conducive for rugged paramilitary regimentation and excellent academic and weapon instruction. Recruits often fear to be listed there for their basic training. ‘Whoever goes through Goron Dutse and passes’, they would aver, ‘could as well have served in Waterloo and excel’. Goron Dutse is however an environment misunderstood.

How ‘expansively desolate’ it appears,

‘A malignant nemesis’

‘No wonder’ says the pessimist,

‘It is sandwiched between the PRISON and the CEMETERY’

Believe not these deceitful impressions,

Go deep, explore the expressions,

Underlying this great institution,

They are of sublime and noble constitution,

‘Tedious’ has been the path to knowledge,

Moulder of recruits of diversed backgrounds,

GORON DUTSE is the incubator,

Hatcher of golden eggs for the Service.

A citadel at the heart of the city,

Of Kano, the centre of Commerce,

Where the DALA is placed,

Strategically equal with GORON DUTSE.

Did I hear ‘Left! Right!! and Centre!!!’?

On the field for the Drills and Postures?

Or, in the class, ‘Detention and Seizures’?

THREE HEARTY CHEERS for the School and its Masters.

Little do we collectively think over,

That we, most certainly, shall ponder,

Reminisce hence, over and over,

On the college, its recruits and wonder.

We may, one day, speak nostalgically,

Recapitulate its pure memory,

And announce it honest admiration,

That the best that happened to us was GORON DUTSE.

Responsibility

To build a prosperous nation requires the contribution of all, the role played by individuals not less important. Do not therefore under estimate the importance of what you can contribute to make your nation great. For:

‘You are entrusted with responsibility

To be a public servant or a nobility,

To provide service for the community,

Only the reasonable shoulder responsibility.

Will you discharge to the best of your ability?

What society feels is part of your capability,

And strive to attain a position of accountability,

Or would you rather choose to be a societal liability?

This nation depends entirely on your productivity,

Aspire to be bad and ravel in un-productivity,

And the nation will weep at your insensitivity.

Would you wish for children to be left in captivity?

Of ignorance and disease or perhaps in abject poverty?

Would you rather our elderly die in ignobility?

Or our enterprises exposed to un-profitability?

For your malignant laziness and short-sighted mentality,

To build a nation is to cherish its historicity,

Appreciate its worth and aspire for credibility,

Improve its lot and provide for maximum capacity,

For its men and women to contribute to the best of their ability

To making their society great with strong Nationality.