President Muhammadu Buhari has asserted that the policies taken by his administration were deliberately made for the development of the country.

He stated this on Tuesday at the inauguration of a new Customs Headquarters, built at the cost of N19.6 billion, in Abuja.

Mr Buhari said that such policies became legacy programmes because they later became the delight of the people and the country.

Citing an instance, Mr Buhari said the ban on the importation of foreign rice was one of such policies.

“I deliberately closed the borders. I said it is either you eat what you grow, or you grow what you eat, and later Nigerians appreciated it,” he said.

Mr Buhari said he had nothing to hide on corruption, adding that “those following Nigerian leaders to condemn them for misappropriation and misbehaviour will have a problem with me.”

On the relationship with neighbouring African countries, the president said there was a need to maintain a cordial relationship with them.

“When I became the president, my first visit was to Niger, Chad and Cameroon because if you do not secure their confidence, you will be in trouble.’’

The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, said the new customs headquarters symbolised the present government’s commitment to effective service delivery.

She said the board, under her leadership, prioritised customs’ staff welfare by ensuring “regular promotion for customs personnel, training opportunities”, among others.

She thanked the president for signing the Nigeria Customs Act 2022, saying it would go a long way in enabling the service to meet up with international best practices.

Earlier, the comptroller of customs, retired Col. Hammed Ali, said he ensured the building created a conducive environment for personnel to carry out their responsibilities effectively.

Mr Ali said the building was technologically friendly, with the necessary facilities to monitor activities across the country’s different borders and commands.

He said the building, which sits on approximately 25,000 square metres, was designed and constructed by indigenous firms.

The building has a 12-floor tower with five floors on both wings of the tower and “bridges” linking the two wings.

The project was conceived in 2002 to provide a comfortable and conducive working environment for staff and authorised visitors.

(NAN)