In a rare show of humility and a deep sparkle of media relations, the Customs Area Controller of Tin Can Island Customs Command, Compt. Frank Onyeka showed up at the League of Maritime Editors and Publishers office on Thursday on a visit.
Expectedly, he was engaged in a media chat which betrayed his real personality outside the official masking of the customs uniform and identity. Frank undressed himself as a valuation officer.
This is the heart of customs profession; the news is not that he is a revenue wizard, but one that belongs to the liberal economics school of thought and socially responsive even to the heart of sustainability-empowerment and humanity- sensitive. He told life- compelling stories that resonate with this submission.
Wondering why he is endeared to the stakeholders, he dissected trade facilitation as a two-pronged concept that underscores basically, Collectable and Maximum revenue. While the Collectable is human-faced, Maximum is anti- trade and humanity-unfriendly. And the current management of the Nigeria Customs Service is tinkering with the human-faced revenue option. This, he said accounts for the rising revenue profile of customs now.
Enjoy his ride with the senior maritime journalists.
