Customs boss tours Niger, Kwara, Kogi, pledges to promote merit

COMPTROLLER-GENERAL of the Nigeria Customs Service, Col. Hameed Ali (rtd) has declared that there will be no godfatherism in the Nigeria Customs Service, especially with the posting of personnel in the service.

Ali, who spoke in Minna during a familiarization tour to Niger, Kwara and Kogi Area Commands, pointed out that the era where personnel bribed their way to be posted to a particular place is over, saying that “there will be no more godfatherism in the posting of personnel in the Nigeria Customs Service; I urge you to desist from such acts capable of bringing the service into disrepute.”

“The Customs know where you can put in your best so we will post you there instead of where you will be loyal to somebody at the detriment of the service,” he said.

Ali lamented thesituation where personnel of the service were loyal to senior officers or individuals who influenced their posting thereby causing shortfall in the revenue generation target of the service.

He explained that such attitude was detrimental to good service delivery in the customs as Federal Government revenue was diverted into private coffers to satisfy personnel and their godfathers.
The Customs boss said that the measure was one of the steps taking to ensure good service delivery toward increased revenue generation.

He said that the customs was being repositioned to block all avenues wastage in terms of running cost and revenue accruing to the government.
Ali enjoined officers and men of the command to increase patrol to stop or reduce the proliferation of small arms through their border areas.
“Intelligence report reaching us suggests that small arms are being smuggled through your border areas,” he said.

He decried remuneration of the customs personnel, saying that he would discuss this with Mr. President, insisting that the service must meet revenue target to justify better welfare package.
According to Ali, “I am not satisfied with the remuneration of the customs personnel, I will go to Mr. President to plead that he do something about it.”

He added that the issue of office and residential accommodation for the customs personnel he said that it would be accorded priority as soon as the service gets fund for that purpose.