***Says Knowledge of the Job First Before Gratification
One of the newly promoted Customs officers of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, Comptroller Francis Obi Abang has called on the junior, incoming and the newly and the newly recruited young customs officers of the service to seek knowledge of the job first instead of putting money first or gratification first.
He also reminded them that definitely money and well deserved appreciations (‘thank you’) that follows every good work done for someone else must surely come to them and other things like benefits will come only when they patiently learn and master the job.
Comptroller Francis Obi Abang, who just concluded his doctorate degree (PhD) programme on Maritime Management Technology from the prestigious Federal University of Technology, Akure, FUTA, Akure, Ondo State, also said that such new officers, beyond knowledge of the job, should also help Nigerians with the knowledge they have gotten and their positions because many Nigerians are suffering in the hands of clearing agents, who would always charges them so much to clear their consignments at the ports.
According to Dr. Abang, as a young customs officer coming into the system, what is your intention?
He continued:
“If you are an officer in a shade, and you knows the job very well, people will ordinarily respect and most times appreciate you on their own for that alone. It is not all about money.
Agents and their importers are own appreciate you, not you soliciting for that. They may sometimes say ‘thank you for helping me”.
The newly promoted Comptroller of the NCS, (Dr. Abang), however, added that such newly recruited officers should put outside his or her selfish ambition or agenda and focus on the job and knowing the job first and to the best of his or her knowledge.
“So the upcoming customs officers should put whatever they want to gain (monetrly or material things) at the back of their minds and decide to work with integrity and honesty, trying to help Nigerians when the need arises. Because many Nigerians need help as far as cargo clearance is concerned. They are suffering and they are complaining bitterly because of what they are passing through in the process of clearing their consignments at the ports in the hands of clearing agents and their importers.
They should also forget about the things they want (instant gratifications), either money or fame or whatever. They will come on their own, they will also come and go. But doing their work honestly and genuinely will be a plus to the officers and also would brings better gratification which is better that money.”
Recall that on February 9, 2024, Comptroller Francis Obi Abang was officially inducted as a doctor of Phylosophy in Maritme Management Technology from Federal University of Technology, Akure FUTA, Akure Ondo State.
Speaking to News Emperor on how he feel achieving such academic feat, few minutes after the induction ceremony, Dr. Abang said he feel proud and fulfilled being pronounced as a doctor of Phylosophy in Maritme Management Technology (marine transport technogist). He said also that he sees himself as the happiest man at the moment.
On the next step to be taken, the latest doctorate degree student in town told our reporter that companies and some individuals have already started calling on him to come and work with them as he has few time to spend in the Nigeria Customs Service. He added that all is left for him to decide.
He spoke on the newly established Marine and Blue Economy Ministry, saying,but is the best thing that has happened to the sector, noting that the government of Tinubu is wise in creating such ministry, the first in the history of Nigeria, for a sector that is second revenue earner for the nation to have a separate ministry. He said with the new Marine and Blue Economy Ministry in place, a lot of opportunities are available for Nigerians and the industry as there are numerous potentials yet to be taped in the marine Blue Economy Ministry.
Dr. Abang called on the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola to call for a roundtable meeting of all the parastatals, agencies and even the Concessionaires to strategize way forward.
” The Minister should line up the agencies and parastatals in the ministry like NIMASA, NPA, Nigerian Shippers’Council, NSC, NIWA, the NCS, even the Concessionaires, etc, bring the to a roundtable and them form a formidable governance different from what has been happening before now. They should take into peculiarities the technicalities if Nigerian waters….”
On his recent promotion to the rank of a Comptroller of the Nigeria Customs Service, the highest rank in the service, he has this to say.
“Yes, the promotion came at the right time it supposed to come. And I am happy for the management of the Nigeria Customs Service led by Adewale Adeniyi MFR who found me worthy to be promoted at this time.
I thank God for everything because promotion comes from God. It doesn’t come from East, West, North not South but from God alone. All is to His glory.”
He said he is yet to offer his best, looking at his recently acquired academic knowledge.
“Any time I am through with the NCS, I will be happy as a full Comptroller of the Nigeria Customs Service, the highest rank in the service, to accept any other is appointment from anywhere.
So, anytime I left the service, I will be available for anyone that needs my service or anyone that comes and said he needs my knowledge and what I have achieved academically, I am available. But only if I feel that such a person will be competent enough to give me Protection.”
The Ogoja Cross River State-born Comptroller however, appreciated the University authorities for the knowledge they imparted on him as well as his external examiners and supervisors who so much cherished his thesis, the topic and the way he handled it.
“… Before now, I have given out my thesis to the external examiners and all that. Remember that my thesis delt on the topic:
“Post Concession and the Performances of Nigeria seaports: Apapa Port, APM Terminal, Onne Port, and Warri Port”.
” It was a good thesis. And I tried to use it to expose everything that is happening at the nation’s seaports. I talked about service delivery, I talked about port efficiency and effectiveness of the ports in a post Concession era. But today, we shouldn’t talk about efficiency anymore because efficiency will only deal with the number of cargo/vessel, berth time or turn around time, that is the average cargo throughouts and the awaiting time of the vessels, which goes to the shippers alone. Cargo throughouts and vessels at the ports, as well as what they are going to collect, goes to the shippers,” he hinted.
“But we are talking about the effectiveness of the ports. When you are talking about the effectiveness of the ports, you are talking about the port users. And the questions should be, are they satisfied with what is happening in the ports? Are they satisfied with port Operations? Are they okay with Customs Operations at the ports?
Are they satisfied with the charges at the ports?
Are they satisfied with what is happening at the terminals and the infrastructures in the terminals in terms of equipment?
These and many more are the questions my thesis posed and questionnaires were sent out and they were genuinely answered.”
Dr. Abang emphasised that there is a big difference between port effectiveness and port efficiency.
According to his argument, “Yes, because port effectiveness goes to the port users. Because when ports are working properly and at it’s optimum, they are happy because the charges are checked, the delays are not there. That is the effectiveness of the ports. Then it is the performance of the port that attracts the shippers to ship in their consignments through a particular port.”
“Efficiency, he said comes in when the port owners or terminal owners want more ships to come to their ports and they will surely make more profits. Then the port users are suffering on high port charges, high dumorages and all that,” Dr. Abang said.
Still on his thesis, he said:
“These were the theories I used in my thesis and all that.
And today, we should be talking about the effectiveness of the ports not effeciency of the ports. Because effectiveness of the ports is service delivery..
He added:
“My supervisors praised my thesis and said the school management should come and collect the documents, that no student in the history of FUTA has done such great, wonderful and extenssive work as I did.”
Giving reasons he achieved that, he said:
“This is because I am already in academics and I am a customs officer. I sat down and looked into the port system and their problems because I am an industry person. And I saw that these things are not there and that they are needed for the benefit of Nigerians. My recommendations are also there. If the government of the day likes, they can take them and decide to implement them,but will help them a lot. So, these are the things we want to bring into limelight in Nigeria,” Dr. Abang concluded.