Customs CG tasks officers to eliminate smuggling in 3 months

…Says women officers have fair representation

Myke Uzendu, Abuja

The Comptroller General of Customs (CGC), Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (Rtd) Tuesday issued a marching order to some newly promoted officers stamp out smughling from the boarders in 3 months..

Ali also tasked the newly decorated five Deputy Comptrollers-General (DCG) and eight Assistant Comptrollers-General (ACG) to beef up anti-smuggling operations and ensure it is permanently wiped out.

Col. Ali gave the order at the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) headquarters in Abuja after decorating 13 newly promoted officers. He stressed that the Service was making progress in revenue collection but not doing enough to reduce smuggling activities.

“We are making progress with regards to revenue generation but I must say we are not doing very well in curbing smuggling.

“I enjoin all of you to join hands with the leadership and management of NCS to ensure that in the next three months, that we have reduced smuggling to the barest minimum,” he emphasised.

Ali assured that with the team which he personally assembled, he is hopeful that “we will be able to move forward and reduce the menace of smuggling most importantly, rice because I keep getting this information every day that rice is coming into the country. It is our job to protect our agricultural policy and that our farmers benefit from it.

“This is my first time that I would take responsibility for thorough selection of members of the management. What it means is that the failure of this management will be the failure of Col. Hameed Ali and I hope and pray that you will not let me down,” Ali noted.

The custom boss explained that his administration has given fair representation to women at the management level as out of 18 management members, there are six women; two are among the six DCGs saying “that is one third of the total population of management.”

Speaking on behalf of the newly decorated officers, DCG Ronke Olubiyi expressed their gratitude to President Muhammadu Buhari for the pragmatic leadership and Col. Ali for the confidence reposed.

“With the kind of leadership we have in Customs today, it is a must for all of us to serve,” she said.

Meanwhile Col. Ali has approved the redeployment of newly decorated ACG Aminu Dahiru from Zone ‘B’, Kaduna to Zone ‘A’ Lagos as the Zonal Coordinator while the Customs Area Controller of Oyo/Osun Command, Comptroller Udo-Aka Emmanuel is now acting ACG to coordinate Zone ‘B’, Kaduna.

Heading the Oyo/Osun Command is is Comptroller David Chikan from the Defence College while Comptroller Elton Edorhe moves from Human Resource Development to head Plateau/Benue/Nasarawa Command.