STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE:

ONGOING REFORMS IN CUSTOMS SERVICE WILL ENHANCE REGIONAL TRADE AND BOOST SECURITY - PRESIDENT JONATHAN

President Goodluck Jonathan said Tuesday in Abuja that in addition to
enhancing regional and continental trade, ongoing reforms in the Nigerian
Customs Service will also boost security in the country by helping to
curtail the influx of illegal small arms and light weapons.


Speaking at an audience with the visiting Secretary General of the World
Customs Organization, Mr. Kunio Mikuriya, President Jonathan said that the
reforms were necessitated by the need to re-define the core values and
operations of the service.


The President told Mr. Mikuriya that with the reforms, the Nigerian Customs
Service was being progressively modernized and given the additional role of
trade facilitation.


"I started out my career in the Nigeria Customs Service. Within that period
and now, there have been significant changes. The role of the Customs
Service as a trade facilitator is becoming more apparent.


"We promise you that the Nigerian government will continue to support
reforms in the Customs. If we do things well, others will emulate us in the
region," he said


President Jonathan congratulated the Secretary General on his re-election
to lead the global body, saying that it must have been due to his strong
leadership skills.


Mr. Mikuriya told the President that he had toured ports in Lagos  and the
Nigeria Customs College, where well motivated staff showed a readiness to
learn and deploy new skills in their operations.


He said he also met with the business community in Lagos who testified to
the positive impact of ongoing reforms in the Customs Service.



Reuben Abati

Special Adviser to the President

(Media and Publicity)