By Sylvanus OBASI, Lagos
The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR, has reiterated his commitment to improving the welfare of Customs personnel across the federation by providing shelters.
The Comptroller-General of Customs made this known on Thursday in Kaduna during the flag-off ceremony of the NCS housing scheme at Gidan Iyali Estate, Millennium City, Kaduna.
He said, “This ceremony is not the last episode of what we have planned. There are projects similar to this in Kano, Asaba, Yola, Abuja, Enugu, and Uyo ready for flag-off. The national spread is aimed at providing officers and men of the service the opportunity to access and benefit from the laudable initiative that is not just pocket friendly but also at convenient locations.”
He also recalled how the Service had, on 18 December 2023, flagged off the ceremony of a similar project of 5000 Houses in Ibadan aimed to target serving officers and men of the NCS.
According to him, “The initiative was deemed expedient as some of our personnel have retired from service without a befitting home to commence the new phase of life after retirement. It is hoped that this initiative will go a long way at putting an end to the misery that have been experienced by some officers and men in the past.”
The CGC highlighted that the initiative was part of President Tinubu’s supportive efforts to provide affordable houses to Nigerians. He also applauded the unwavering support given to the Nigeria Customs Service by Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna state towards the success of the ensure the exercise.
The CGC urged officers who have shown interest in the projects not to relent, adding, “It is heartwarming to inform all officers that the service is going into an interface with Cooperative Mortgage Bank with the service ICT under the salary section to effectively manage the process of payments of the housing scheme.”
Image of the ongoing customs housing project in Kaduna state.
On his part, the Portfolio and Assets Manager of Family Homes, George Anih, while addressing the gathering, said his firm is critical about providing shelters for Nigerians at an affordable price.
He expressed commitment to partner with the Nigeria Customs Service to provide 5000 houses for officers and men of the Service.
Mr. Musa Abubakar, Managing Director of Cooperative Mortgage Bank, assured the Comptroller-General of Customs of his commitment to ensure the successful completion of the project.