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As part of efforts to contribute to the educational development of Nigerian children, on Tuesday, the Apapa Customs Command of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) hosted primary school pupils from Corona Schools, Gbagada.
While addressing the pupils at the NCS Apapa Command, the acting Deputy Controller, Revenue, DC Nura Miko, stressed that Customs roles go beyond enforcement at seaports or border posts, but prioritising trade facilitation and national security.
His words: “The essence of this outing is to give the students an opportunity to see firsthand the activities of Customs. It is also about building the next generation of leaders, building friendships and widening their knowledge about the Service.”
Speaking with journalists on the sidelines, DC Miko said; “We have educated them about the activities of Customs. They have also learnt the essence of timeliness in port processes especially for cargo clearance with imports and also exports.”
Noting that he never had an opportunity to learn about Customs until he applied to the NCS, DC Miko appreciated the privilege given to the pupils to learn about Customs.
“At the point I applied to work at Customs, I didn’t even fully understand the activities of the NCS. Today, these children are better equipped with knowledge about Customs,” DC Miko said.
Also speaking, the Officer-in-Charge of Queries and Amendments, AC Adedokun Oyekanmi, expressed delight at the thoughtful questions asked by the Class 4 Corona pupils.
“These kids have a lot of questions and from our responses they kept asking more questions. The kids are really smart because I found it difficult to answer some of their questions. It has been a beautiful experience engaging with the young children and I believe that this tour has shaped their perspectives about Customs as several of them have said they would like to become Customs officials in future,” Oyekanmi remarked.
Also speaking, the Class Teacher/ Change Agent at Corona School Gbagada, Mrs. Chikerenma Aboloko, revealed that the decision to have the excursion to Apapa Customs was inspired by a series of Social Studies modules on several government agencies and their functions.
Her words: “In our social studies lessons for about 4-5 weeks we have been talking about different government agencies and their functions. We have several government agencies, so we decided to choose Customs. The children had thought that they were just coming to see the personnel that were working, but we have seen the offices, ICT centre, shipside and scanning centre.
“The reaction from the children has been beautiful as several of them have boldly stated that they want to become Customs officers.”
Sharing her experience, one of the Class 4 pupils, Chidinma Aro, described the educational tour as beautiful and informative.
“I have learnt that Nigeria Customs Service does a lot for our country. One of the functions of the NCS is trade facilitation,” Chidinma stated.
The educational tour commenced at the Customs ICT room before heading to the Query and Amendment department. The pupils also visited the seaside at ENL Port Terminal to see ships and port activities in operation before visiting the scanning site at Apapa.
