Compt. Benedict Oramalugo, Ph.D does not always elect to be an Ambassador wherever he finds himself. It comes naturally. It is engrained in his DNA, as it were. He represents any constituency of his well, and very well, any day, anywhere! He loves whatever responsibility assigned to him that meets his likes but must be one that elevates the value of life and humanity.
It is therefore not a surprise that his trajectory of controllership in the Nigeria Customs Service(NCS)has been paved with performance and impact even beyond the usual revenue rakes, anti-smuggling and anti-drugs trafficking. He chose to emphasize humanity, quality living while prioritizing sustainability as a new face of customs administration at command level. He counts his success on how many lives were touched. As a teacher, he taught universities what customs represents; as an Historian, he leaves the trails on every encounter; as a Public Relations and management specialist, he engages stakeholders in most strategic and informing manner that often elicit acceptance and compliance, and as a paramilitary strategist; from Kebbi, to Oyo/Osun and now Seme Area Command, he took on dare-devil smugglers, bandits, drug pushers and destroyers of destinies; churning out seizures while facilitating trade in its finest with a human face.
Dr. Oramalugo has become a serial award winner and a cynosure in NCS from a humble beginning in 1991. He was bestowed an Ambassador of War Against Drugs in Kebbi Customs Area Command by Brigadier-General Buba Marwa(rtd,) Director-General, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency(NDLEA). He emerged as the Best Customs Officer, at Kirikiri Lighter Terminal Area Command in 2006. At Oyo/Osun, Oramalugo emerged a winner of three awards, same night, at the 2024 Comptroller General of Customs(CGC) Conference in Abuja. At Seme, as the sitting Area Controller, his laudable activities endeared him to CGC Adewale Adeniyi who showered him with commendations in a special sort for being a good ambassador of the Service and a model to other controllers in the system. His height of commitment to Customs drove him to not only embark on infrastructural developments of basic human needs at Seme Area Command, but dedicating a book to NCS. He authored,”Customs Administration In Nigeria“, which espouses the extent of Customs’ contributions to development in Nigeria.
Considering that Customs loses lives almost every month in the war against smuggling, the Service could be called a war zone, never mind the glitters found in some quarters and as such anyone who finds himself or herself put in over 30 years in system is at a departure lounge. Dr. Oramalugo at this point has seen it all.
Julius Caeser in his war victory against Pharnace II of Pontus in Bosporan Empire of 47 BC, boasted in Latin phrase, “Veni,vidi, vici, meaning in English, ” I came, I saw, I conquered”. Indeed, this phrase aptly describes Oramalugo’s career path in Customs but most importantly, his management of commands as Controller. He still has miles to go before he sleeps, like the Poet, Robert Frost says, since he is still in service as the Controller of Seme Area Command.
What was the reception like when you assumed duty in this Command?
The reception has been awesome. Even before I came the stakeholders had full knowledge of my performance in kebbi and Oyo/Osun Customs commands. They welcomed me and promised that they would cooperate with me. Oyo/Osun and Idiroko are all operating within the same proximity with Seme Border. They have relationship with Seme, which is about 778 kilometers, stretching from here up to Oyo/Osun. So I know the terrain very well. And when I came in here with the experience I’ve gathered from Kebbi, I know that I’m going to perform well here.
Okay, that’s good. Talking about stakeholders, at a point, there were divisions here and there. How much of cohesion have you been able to achieve?
When I came here,I discovered that the stakeholders were factionalized, and I know that if there is no peace, it will be difficult to trade .Enemies don’t trade. it’s only where you are friends that you can trade. So I have done to the best of my ability to reconcile the factions so that there will be peaceful import and export and they have heeded to my call. I’ve told them the importance of making friends and not enemies. And they have promised me that there will be peace. And I’m already seeing the peace. If you can see, as we are coming here, the whole place is calm, no more thuggery, no more rushing here and there.
The area we are trying to battle, this area of multiple checkpoints, and the first thing I did when I reported here was to resuscitate the security meeting among the agencies at the border, they said they stopped it about four or five years ago. So I was able to resuscitate it- where we are sharing ideas, so we are getting to that point where we will have what we might call perfect peace in the command.
I was going to ask you that. Coming down here, I was counting as usual, usually when I’m coming to Seme, I count. This time I counted about 27 functional ones- where you have uniform men stopping people. The various uniform men, including the Police, Customs, but more of the Police and Immigration. They had seven posts that were not manned. So 27 manned. There were , 34 in total and I know when you came in here, you held security meetings. I expected that by now they should have complied with the order of quitting their excesses.
Yeah, when I came here, I had a meeting with all the security agencies. I told them about this multiple checkpoints, and I told them that we have to dismantle some of these checkpoints- collapse some. And I said, as the leading agency at the border, that I’m going to start it. So Customs, we reduced our own along Owode axis and between here and Badagry. I think between here and Owode axis we have just about three. The problem we have to be sincere with you is the Police. We have been appealing to them so that by the time we have the next meeting, they must have dismantled the whole checkpoints. But I was with the Police about two days ago, they were also telling me that they are having their own challenges, because most of the police you see here are not only from Badagry or Seme axis. You have the IGP Task Force. We have from AIG and so on and so forth. So they are not even from a system, but in Customs, we only have the command and federal operation. So we are trying to continue to pressurize them to reduce the checkpoints, and we don’t want a situation where we escalate it to our Controller General who will now take it up with IG of Police.
We want a situation where we can solve the problem within ourselves. And I have continued to remind them that this is an Abidjan Corridor. Yes, it’s an international route, and whatever you do here reflects the true story of the Nigerian state. Yeah, yes. When passengers are passing, they don’t come into control of custom office or commander of police office. The people that they see on the road make them to make conclusion about the story of Nigeria, yes. And you can see that from Seme here to Lagos, you see some chaotic, environmental situation. But once you step into Republic, you see some serenity. So it has to do with people that are occupying this, this environmental space. So all the courtesy visits I have been doing, I’ve been preaching to them on the need to bring down the number of check points. Two, the way they behave with visitors. An officer should be at the duty post properly dressed. Be courteous and treat passengers well.
In Customs, we have what we call seven Cs. One of the Cs is Courtesy. When you are rude to visitors you smearing the image of Nigeria. This is the bulk of what I do during my courtesy visits so that they can have change of perception. We visitors to begin to interpret Nigeria’s story better.
How much of ETLS do we do now? I know we still don’t import vehicles yet through the border.
Yes, all vehicle import must go through the ports. Yes, but there are other ETLS consignments-goods produced within West African region. We try to check the goods to ensure they comply with the rules, because at times, even good that are imported are smuggled in. And when we see that kind of goods, don’t allow it. We use rules of origin to make sure that they are goods originating from the region. So the ETLS is doing well.
What about export?
Yes, that’s the place we have done fantastically well. Within the one month that came here, we generated about 7 billion
Let’s move into some technical area. Customs, is a frontline agency, that’s constitutionally empowered to monitor cross border movements. How much of this takes place, talking about management in line with maybe smart border deployment?
Well, Seme is one of the busiest borders in Nigeria, and there must be movement of goods and services across the border, but according to our mandate in the Nigeria Customs Act of 2023, section four , specifically said that Customs is a leading agency at the borders, and we have the right to control the movement of goods across the borders. And to the best of our ability, we have been able to do that by making sure that our prohibited goods don’t come in. Yes, within one month of my resumption we have made a seizure of about 270 million
Yes, within three or four weeks of my reporting here, and even after I did the first press conference, we have been having seizures. Our warehouse is almost filled up with fuel. You know, Nigerians are exporting for illegally. Most of the fuel that are produced here are not being used locally.
The Conflict Armament Research report traced over 65% of weapons seized from non- state actors in Nigeria to transnational trafficking route through Seme, Niger and Benin Republic. The question I want to ask is: Does Customs, make any form of special intervention funds, special funds for border management?
I am not too sure about the fund, but I know the management is supporting us materially. They have given us, Hilux cars that we use. The support may not be enough but it is work in progress.
Years back, the issue of deployment of drones to fight smuggling and other prohibitive vices were discussed. I don’t know whether that has taken off, or it is being discussed at policy level?
Well, I think the discussion is ongoing, like in this particular border, there’s no drone, but I think the management is working on that. The issue is that the Nigeria Customs is willing to sacrifice anything to make sure that Nigerian borders are secured. But, you know, the resources are being chased by other needs. Yes, so that’s the problem, and the Nigerian border is vast, 1400 illegal border routes. Only about 1,014 routes that are manned and are legal. I’ve always said it, even if you line up, the whole Customs officers, for example, along Benin Republic route, which is 773 kilometers, Nigeria Customs may not be able to completely stop smuggling. There is no place in the world where you have stopped smuggling totally, even the United States and Germany and so on and so forth. But what you try to do is to bring it to a minimal level. And that is exactly what we are doing. And in Nigerian Customs , every month, we are sure of one person being killed. So an average of one Customs officer dies every month in the hands of smugglers and bandits. Three days ago, about three Customs Officer were killed in Kebbi by these bandits. When I was there, about four people were killed. So these are the sacrifices we make daily, which the Nigerian public don’t know.
On informal trade, report says over 60% of women get involved in cross border trade, and then, I don’t know how much of that you have been able to experience since you came here?
I have noticed it. Most of these illicit trade trafficking are done by women. Just today, the NDLEA Commander was telling us that most of the drug seizures they made before I came were trafficked by women. The crimes were committed by women carrying drugs under their dresses. Some wear Buba and all the rest of women dresses to cover them so we’re taking care of them. We keep female officers to search them to get our results. Is like smugglers, they use one style today to outsmart you, you catch them, they try another one. You discover it, they use another one. Yes, I agree with you. Women are more in terms of smuggling,
What does trade facilitation mean to you in Seme when compared with Oyo/Osun and Kebbi where you have been? Is the application giving you the same experience?
You know, Oyo/Osun is bigger in terms of space. Yes, it’s a little way more difficult considering the kind of resources we have in confronting these smugglers. Oyo is about 28,000 square kilometers, and Osun is about 14,000 square kilometers. Seme is smaller in terms of size but the activities are more, because the whole of the Benin Republic,Togo, Ghana use this place to access their goods. So, I think it’s easier, to manage here than Oyo/Osun, because we have a kind of compact environment. Unlike in Oyo/Osun where I stay in the headquarters at Ibadan, and monitor what is happening in border towns with some of them hovering around 50 or more kilometers away from my location. In Seme, everything is concentrated here within the space of one or two kilometers.
Would you subscribe to the idea of bringing Customs operations closer to Border Stations to be able to fight smuggling, or you would rather have them stay at the headquarter? Some people are saying move the CGC’s operational office to security flashpoint areas like Sokoto, Katsina,etc
I don’t think it’s ideal. It is better for them to be far away and monitor what is happening, because if you bring it to Sokoto, what about Seme? Is he going to divide himself into two at the same time. That is why It should be in a central place and put capable officers. And the kind of CGC we have now is not somebody that use sentiments or tribalism post officers. It’s no longer who you know but what you know. If you look at all the controllers he posted, they are people of integrity and hard work. He doesn’t dwell on ethnicity. You can imagine me, an Igbo man, being a controller in Oyo/Osun, his home state, which has never happened before. But he talks about integrity, hard work, capacity, yes. And you can see last year, I won three awards at the CGC’s conference. So if they are looking at our tribe, I’m not sure that I’ll get that award, but he was looking at merit.
What is your target for the year?
I want to surpass the target. That’s why we are facilitating trade. Very soon I will start going to Alaba and International Trade fair centre- trade clusters to tell them why they should use the borders and pay their duties . Here is nearer, yes, and the bad roads and congestion associated with the port is not in Seme. Those of them that are traders, here are my brothers, so I will be able to use my contact to make them to shift the trade towards the border. I hope to have more revenue than I got before. In Oyo/Osun within one year, I made N18 billion. Without sounding immodest, I am an award winning controller.
Having worked in various commands, what would you say is your regret?
My regret is that I have never had the opportunity of seizing large quantity of arms and ammunition
Yes, I have done that with drug when I was in Kebbi. I brought drug dealers to a standstill, seized many of their goods, arrested, many of them that even the head of the NDLEA , Brigadier General Buba Marwa gave me an award as an Ambassador against drug war.
In Oyo/Osun, I seized fake pharmaceutical products, worth about 1.2 billion in one truck? But all these days I have not been able to seize Arms and Ammunition. And our CGC has been on my neck. Yet I have not seized arms and ammunition despite having informants. At times, I will send informants to Benin Republic. Most times at the point of seizure one thing or another will happen; some officers or the informant will sabotage it. Or, the stakeholders will sabotage it. So I’m praying that God will help me, before my retirement, to cap the efforts up with the seizure of arms and ammunition. And then the one of hard drugs, I have told my officers that I don’t compromise on customs rules especially on arms and ammunition and drug, there are blood money, because when you collect those money and allow them, it’s like shooting in the marketplace. You don’t know whom you eat. When this thing come in, it might be your that will smoke it, consume it and become a menace to the society.
I preach everywhere I go, don’t compromise drug, ammunition or hard drugs, and they are listening to me. Within the four days of arriving here, I seized a large consignment of cannabis. I seize the motor, the culprit run away. Even the motor is here, there have been pressure on me to release the vehicle. I said, the law permits me to keep the vehicle, means of conveyance. That’s the kind of hatred I have for drug and ammunition. So my greatest regret is not seizing them, but I know that the grace of God, I will do that very soon.
Let me use this opportunity, and thank our Controller General, CG, Mr. Adewale Adeniyi, and members of the management team. You know before now, we were ruled by, most of the times, soldiers. Ango Abdullahi, Col. Hammed Ali and so on and so forth. But the President in his wisdom. When he came, appointed one of us, and he appointed a gentleman, a hard working man. And since he came, he has been supporting us. He had provided almost all we need to fight this, this war against workers who have been generating revenue. Last year, we surpassed, by making 6 trillion. And in this year’s chaotic nature of oil production, customs is becoming the last hope of the common man. So we have never had it so good. And you can even see the awards, he won. African International Public Relations gave him an award. Maritime community gave him award as Man of the Year. The Sun gave him the Public Servant of the year. All this awards cannot be on an empty performance. It is a performance based on solid, solid rock, and above all, he has been detribalized. It is no Longer whom you know in customs, but what you know. Just check out the area controllers. These are people that perform well, perform well in service. So we regard him as God sent. And I’m sure this year will also over overshoot our target, and I’m sure we’ll do it.
Thank you.
