The state-of-the-art medical edifice is being sponsored by the Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative under its Security Sector Support Grant at the Federal Operations Unit, Zone ‘D’ Headquarters, Bauchi.
The groundbreaking, which was held on Monday, is coming after the presentation of letters of award to Nigeria’s security agencies in December 2022 by the MD/CEO of ASR Africa, Dr. Ubon Udoh.
The NCS Comptroller General thanked the chairman of ASR Africa for the grant awarded to the agency, saying that the gesture is worthy of mention as it is the first of such a huge donation to the Nigeria Customs Service from any organisation.
He said, “We are indeed happy to be a proud recipient of this project, which we hope will enhance the capacity and welfare of our personnel and those of our communities where we serve.
“The mandate of the Nigeria Customs Service is very clear. We are dispersed all over the country to discharge those key mandates: generating revenue for the country, controlling and managing smuggling, and facilitating trade. These are onerous responsibilities to be discharged by officers of the Nigeria Customs Service.
“For the effective delivery of these mandates, we have to look after the welfare of our officers, we have to be concerned about the health of their families, and we also have to look after the wealth and the health of members of the community where we operate.
“This is why the Nigeria Customs Service has put in place a robust welfare program to take care of the health and the needs of our officers. Under the current budget, the Nigeria Customs Service must put up several medical facilities in all our Zonal Headquarters.
“So, we have a project that is ongoing, Zone A in Lagos, we have one in Kaduna, we have one in Port Harcourt and we are happy that we have found a reputable partner that has chosen to work with us to deliver a world-class 30-bed hospital we have in Zone D, Bauchi.”
In his speech at the groundbreaking, the MD, ASR Africa, Udoh, reiterated the commitment of the Chairman of ASR Africa and the BUA Group, Abdul Samad Rabiu, to fulfilling the pledges made to the security agencies across Nigeria.
He further stated that ASR Africa has engaged with all the beneficiaries of the security grant and is on track to ensure the implementation of all projects selected by the armed forces and security agencies. He thanked the leadership of the Nigerian Customs Service for partnering with ASR Africa on this project.
“This project is also a reflection of the kind of leadership that the Customs are fortunate to have. This project could have been anything, but the leadership decided to build a hospital putting the health of the men, women, officers, and families in the Nigeria Customs Service first,” Udoh said.
Recall that the Chairman of ASR Africa, Abdul Samad Rabiu, on his visit to the immediate past President of Nigeria in December 2022, announced a N10 billion grant to the Nigerian Armed Forces and security agencies.
This grant, part of the Security Sector Support grant, is aimed at providing support for security agencies in the country and the armed forces to effectively and efficiently fulfill their mandate to the Nigerian people.
Other beneficiaries include the Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Air Force, Nigerian Army, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Nigeria Immigration Service, Department of Secret Services, Nigeria Police, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and the Nigerian Correctional Service.
