Comptroller Dera Nnadi is one Customs chief who inspires confidence, trust, loyalty, patriotism and hard work in his men. He is uncompromising when it comes to dedication to duty, especially customs enforcement, bursting of smugglers’ fortress and the fight against the importation of narcotics. Officers who work under Comptroller Nnadi know he is a stickler for excellence and they see him as a role model.
No wonder he has been described at different fora by stakeholders in the maritime industry as a brilliant manager of men and an astute administrator, one imbued with immense leadership capacities and fecundity of ideas.
Comptroller Nnadi’s over three decades of career trajectory in the Nigerian Customs Service has seen him record streaks of feats in all the positions he has held, distinguishing himself and attracting effusive commendations.
He has continuously left a trail of excellence in all his postings. He is a disciplined, experienced, and incorruptible anti-smuggling czar who, as Custom Area Comptroller, CAC, Seme border, led his men to burst a series of smuggling rings, including the interception of over $6 million in fake American dollar notes in the Gbaji area along the border corridor.
That feat was accomplished notwithstanding spirited efforts by the smugglers of the fake currency to compromise Comptroller Nnadi’s men with $150,000 in original currency to allow the fake currency free passage.
Having distinguished himself at the Seme Border Command, the Customs High Command under the dynamic leadership of Comptroller-General, Wale Adeniyi, in September last year decided to send Comptroller Nnadi to Tincan as CAC to replicate his feats there.
Comptroller Nnadi is on a familiar turf having held a robust and strategic enforcement position at the port a few years ago.
Before his posting to the Ogun 1 Command, Idiroko as CAC in 2022, Nnadi was the Deputy Comptroller in charge of Enforcement at the Tin Can Island Command during which outstanding and eye-popping seizures, comprising large cache of arms and ammunition, illicit drugs including large quantities of outlawed tramadol and many other contraband goods were made.
His invaluable contributions to the fight against the importation of illicit drugs into the country recently attracted him an award from the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA. Comptroller Nnadi was personally honoured at a ceremony in Lagos by the NDLEA Chairman, Brigadier-General Buba Marwa (rtd). Since assuming office, Tin Can port under Nnadi has recorded breathtaking seizures of varied quantities of narcotics, including the interception of 1000 kg of Canadian Cannabis.
As earlier stated, Comptroller Nnadi did not come to Tin Can to learn on the job nor did he come to a strange terrain. Apart from being Deputy Comptroller at the Tincan port a few years ago, over a decade earlier, before his current posting to the port as CAC, he had held the position of Public Relations Officer, PRO at Apapa Port.
Given the foregoing, it was not difficult for Comptroller Nnadi to quickly settle down at CAC Tin Can port and immediately swing into action.
Characteristic of him, immediately after his assumption of office Comptroller Nnadi expressed the determination to meet the N801 billion annual revenue target for the command, assuring that he would increase the command’s revenue collection from 52 percent to 100 percent.
Of course, at the back of his mind were the three key performance indicators for the Nigeria Customs Service and by extension the Tin Can command under his leadership and these include revenue, anti-smuggling, and trade facilitation.
And he did not disappoint. Within a few months of assumption of duty as Tin can CAC, Nnadi’s dexterity and foresightedness caused the command to make huge seizures, including 1,264 packages weighing 473.50kg of hemp worth N118.4 million, concealed in various containers from eight seizures.
Others include 10 sacks of used clothing and five used fridges with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N3.17 million in 1x40ft Container, DFSU 6858264, 3,028 pieces of matches, 435 cartons of De Ruth Tomato Paste, Unregistered Pharmaceutical Products in 1x 40ft container, MRSU 5923970, MRKU 5534321 and MRSU 5923970.
Sized too were 7X40ft containers containing bulk charcoal with a DPV of N24.77 million, 12 different Arms, six different pistols, and 500 pieces of ammunition of different calibre extracted from 1X40ft container, CMAU 8834719.58 bags and three bags of used shoes concealed in 1X40 ft TGBU 4466688 and 1X40 ft MEDU 7552832 respectively, 987 bales of used clothing extracted from three containers, suspected concealment in 2X20 ft declared as gauze rolls, one unit of Land Rover with Chassis number, SALCT2BG4FH527794, Suzuki Carry with Chassis number, MHYESL4152J115591, Mercedes Benz C300 WITH Chassis number, WDDGF8BB9AK093016S, various supermarket items, toilet paper, pharmaceutical and beauty products, 615 sacks of Water Buffalo Horns, 2,500 cartons of frozen poultry, 3,642 bags of basmati rice, household goods, arms and ammunition, and military wear were detected equally and seized. The total DPV of sized goods goods and narcotics were valued at N3.2 billion.
These far-reaching feats by Tincan under Nnadi’s command align with his past exploits as an anti-smuggling czar. There is no doubt that Comptroller Nnadi’s unparalleled revenue generation wizardry played a pivotal role in the Nigerian Customs Service, NCS revenue generation of N5.07 trillion between January 12, 2024, surpassing its revenue target. For example between January 7 and November this year alone, the Tin-Can Customs Command for the first time in history, raked in N1,046,496,593,103.60 thus making him the first-ever Tincan CAC to have recorded over one Trillion Naira customs duty collection feat, a feat that has earned him the moniker, “the magic man of Tincan” from some industry stakeholders.
His knack and passion for service delivery and meeting target goals are legendary as testified by officers who have at one time or the worked under him.
An officer who would rather remain anonymous recalls with nostalgia, how, as DC at Tin Can Nnadi bravely superintended the seizure of stolen vehicles illegally brought into the country. The vehicles, gold-coloured Range Rover SUV(2014) and black Coloured Range Rover 2015 were later repatriated to the country from where it was criminally brought into Nigeria.
It should also be noted that as a CAC, Nnadi had once achieved and surpassed in about eight months, a revenue target of N1.966,000,000bn with an additional N122,578,048.03bn.
Resourceful, dedicated, and result-oriented, Comptroller Nnadi who enlisted in the service in 1991 as a cadet officer, has transversed various commands in the course of his career. Apart from serving in Seme, Idiroko, Apapa, and Tin Can commands of the service, Nnadi has also served in Yobe, Kwara, Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, Mubi and. Abuja.
A proud alumnus of the prestigious National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, (NIPSS), Kuru, Jos, and a graduate of Microbiology, Business Management, and Masters Degree holder in Business Administration, Comptroller Nnadi, despite his achievements and feats, are unassuming and humble; always declining to take personal glory or credit for successes recorded. For example, while addressing maritime reporters recently on Tin Can’s historic collection of over one Trillion Naira as Customs duty between January and November, Comptroller Nnadi dedicated the feat to the Comptroller-Gerneral of Customs: “I dedicate this achievement to the Comptroller General of Customs Bashir Adewale Adeniyi and his management team”, he had said.
According to Heywood Hale Broun, “Sweat is the cologne of accomplishment”, given Comptroller Nnadi’s exceptional career accomplishments, perhaps, early in his career and as a young officer, he had meticulously internalized the above admonition and made his guiding principle hence his career path has been strewn with hard work, dedication, honesty and integrity; with astounding career accomplishments as fitting results.
■ Onyemaizu, a Journalist, Strategic Communication expert and Media/ PR consultant, resides in Lagos and can be reached on 08034931328
Email: elesiokwu@gmail.com
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