By Adetokunbo FAKEYE
Nigeria – The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, on Tuesday, 10 September 2024, at the 60th regular board meeting of the Nigeria Customs Service, highlighted governmentefforts to ease cost of living.
The meeting, held at the newly built NCS headquarters in Maitama, Abuja, was said to be the first of its kind since the commissioning of the edifice by former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023.
The Minister, who is the Chairman, Nigeria Customs Service Board, according to the Customs spokesman, CSC Abdullahi Maiwada expressed his satisfaction with the board’s adherence to the decision to meet quarterly, describing it as an essential aspect of corporate governance.
Mr Edun, stressed that regular meetings and updates on financial performance were crucial for any government agency seeking to meet its objectives that impact positively on the citizens.
He highlighted further, “I think that board meetings serve as an important part of corporate governance and corporate governance is key to running an organisation efficiently as well as provide the necessary direction and management to keep government policies on track.”
The Minister, Maiwada said, also applauded the integrity and transparency of CGC Adeniyi, noting that the principles guiding the board’s operations were exemplary with a commitment to achieve laudable objectives and tenets to run an organisation like the NCS.
The Minister, who stressed the importance of collaboration between various ministries and the private sector, said the Nigeria Customs Service Board includes representatives from the ministries of Trade and Investment, Foreign Affairs, and Finance, as well as members of the organised private sector.
This congregation, according to Edun, “Ensures that critical national issues are thoroughly discussed and implemented in a timely manner”.
While answering questions on the significance of presiding over the first board meeting in the newly built headquarters, he commended the NCS for not only completing the structure but also utilizing it effectively.
“I congratulate the Nigeria Customs Service on this achievement of not just building a new edifice, but actually moving into it, making use of it, and keeping it very neat and tidy, and I pray for the success of all those who work at the new facility”, stated.
