COMPTROLLER BASHAR YUSUF SUCCESS STORY (2): ..His exploits, exceptional achievements as Tincan CAC

COMPTROLLER BASHAR YUSUF SUCCESS STORY (2):

.His exploits, exceptional achievements as Tincan CAC

 By Udeme Clement & Silas Onuoha

The outstanding achievements of Comptroller Bashar Yusuf as the Customs Area Controller ,CAC, of Tincan Customs Command in the last two years are enormous.

 SPECTACULAR SEIZURES (470 PUMP ACTION RIFLES):

He breaks the record as the first CAC to intercept arms and ammunition on the high sea through modern container profiling technique, for the first time in the history of Nigeria Customs Service, NCS.

The seizure of 470 Pump Action Rifles was made possible through accurate data profiling of the container right from the high sea. Through such uncommon technique, Bashar and his team were able to track the arms from the vessel on the sea and intercepted the items at the entry point without allowing them to enter the country.

Also, Bashar and his team were able to profile the cargo using the data  of the documents attached to the container. That spectacular seizure attracted the attention of the whole country and lnternational community, which prompted the meeting of CGC Ali Hameed and top government functionaries from Nigeria with the Turkish government.

 CONSIGNMENT OF 1,100 ARMS:

The same Command swiftly intercepted a consignment of 1,100 Pump Action Rifles loaded in a 20ft container.

 OTHER MIND BOGGLING SEIZURES INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:

Other mind boggling seizures include Cocaine with a street value of over N2billion concealed in a container, 900 Cartridges/Military Hardware, recovery of suspected stolen two Range Rover and repatriation of same  through Interpol to United State of America,

1. Seizure of substandard/regulated Tramadol Containers
2. Large quantity of Biafran Arms band
3. 31 containers fully loaded with rice but falsely declared as yeast/bread enhancer
4. 20 x 20 containers of Vegetable Oil falsely declared as Disodium Phosphate, among many others

HUGE REVENUE GENERATION:

Tincan under the supervision of Comptroller Bashar as the CAC made impressive performance in revenue generation, as the Command realised revenue inflow of N287.6billion in 2017. Therefore, in the last two years,  Comptroller BASHAR raked in over N544billion,  being the highest  in the records of Tincan as a Command.

He achieved this huge revenue collection through various far reaching reforms he instituted as the CAC of Tincan.

SOME OUTSTANDING REFORMS INITIATED BY BASHAR:

These include building of Information Communication Technology, ICT,  training centre as well as a fully equipped clinic, officially commissioned by CGC Ali Hameed on November 11, 2017.  The capacity building facility put in place by Comptroller Bashar has been used to train over 1,200 people, including officers and numerous stakeholders in the maritime sector.

Financial Business & Maritime News inquest learnt that over 75 maritime Journalists have been trained in the same centre, on modern reporting skills capable of attracting foreign investors to the maritime sector and the economy at large.

According to the Public Relations Officer, PRO,  of Tincan,  Uche Ejesieme, “These landmark seizures gave Tincan the sobriquet of a ‘Benchmark Command’ which provided the needed impetus for  subsequent trail blazing records.”

SPECIFIC COMMENDATIONS:

These records culminated into commendation letters from CGC Ali Hameed  in the following areas, commendation for exercising due diligence in interception of “Pro-Biafran” materials, commendation for interception of 1 x 40ft container laden with sophisticated Military Hardware, commendation for the interception of eight bags of 25 parcels falsely declared as Virgin Cellulose, which  eventually was confirmed by NDLEA to be cocaine worth over N2billion naira in the market.

The Tincan PRO pointed out, “On assumption, the CAC drew the attention of officers/men to the change ideology and mantra of the CGC,  anchored on restructuring, reform and revenue generation.  So, these provided the operational template and road map, which guided our operations and eventually guaranteed historical results being celebrated at the instance of WCO.  The name of Tincan Command, which Comptroller BASHAR epitomises would have been written in gold, especially when he considers the trajectory of the Command in the past viz-a-viz these achievements.”

Answering questions from the Media after the International Award,  Comptroller Bashar stated,  “Our strategy at Tincan Command was the concept of ‘Team Spirit’ which saw to our open door policy of inclusiveness,  believing that team spirit is key to development with its attendant checks and balances.  I also have a profiling team comprising all the departmental Heads, APM, the CIU, the Valuation Unit, PCA, Enforcement and indeed the entire officers/men, whose invaluable contributions cannot be quantified.

“We are very passionate about collaboration  with critical agencies and we have imbibed the virtues of transparency, integrity and due diligence in our day to day activities, in line with global best practice.”

 (Comptroller Bashar Yusuf success story (2):  This is the second part of this report, Bashar’s role in initiating PAAR that prevents Federal government from spending billions of naira today, will be published in the third segment.)

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