{
  "id": 2599750,
  "title": "Customs Leadership Stability Key To Sustaining Revenue, Border Reforms, Says Tinubu Loyalist",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/22/customs-leadership-stability-key-to-sustaining-revenue-border-reforms",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-08-22T12:16:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "This Day",
    "slug": "this-day",
    "url": "https://www.thisdaylive.com/2026/08/22/customs-leadership-stability-key-to-sustaining-revenue-border-reforms-says-tinubu-loyalist/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Khamis Musa Darazo, a loyalist of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and a high-ranking official in the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), has lauded the agency's progress in revenue generation, border management, and trade facilitation under the current government's economic reforms. Darazo, speaking in Bauchi State, highlighted the strategic direction provided by the Federal Ministry of Finance, which has prioritized revenue performance, technology, compliance, and coordinated border operations. He emphasized that the Service's improved revenue performance is crucial to the Federal Government's goal of expanding non-oil revenue and creating fiscal space for infrastructure and social programs. Darazo also stressed the importance of stronger collaboration between the Customs Service and other security agencies to combat smuggling and protect legitimate businesses. He welcomed the ongoing digitalization and trade-modernization efforts within the Service, which would streamline procedures and strengthen controls against illicit trade. Darazo urged the federal government to consider performance-based continuity for deserving Customs management officers, including targeted tenure extensions for Deputy Comptroller-General, Assistant Comptroller-General, and similar ranks, subject to legal and regulatory constraints. He clarified that continuity should not imply indefinite tenure or preferential treatment, but rather a strategic decision to consolidate reforms and prepare the institution for the future. Darazo argued that experienced officers should be given the opportunity to mentor emerging leaders, ensuring a smooth transition of institutional gains. He proposed that any tenure extension should be merit-based, time-bound, and subject to statutory approvals, providing a structured period for mentoring and succession planning. Darazo reiterated his support for President Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda, emphasizing that sustainable reforms require measures to maintain successful institutional changes. He urged the Federal Ministry of Finance, NCS Board, and other relevant authorities to evaluate leadership continuity objectively, based on performance, institutional needs, and long-term national interests.",
  "summary": "Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bauchi State and loyalist of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Khamis Musa Darazo, has commended the Nigeria Customs Service",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}