The Nigeria Customs Service’s New-look

Since the exit of Brigadier General Samuel Ango as the Sole Administrator in 1999, the Nigeria Customs Service has always had succession-related rancour. During the tenure of Alhaji Ahmed Aliyu Mustapha in 1999 the eve of democracy from Bauchi to the headquarters to clinched the position. The outcome was that many brilliant but ambitious senior officers had to be retired to pave way for a peaceful reign for Mustapha. Those officers retired for him didn’t allow him be as he wanted, for he fought all through his four year tenure.
In same vein, came Buba Gyang as Mustapha’s successor. His name never came up in build up to the appointment. He was a compromise between the ‘hawks’ who had been penciled down and the ‘apostles of due process’. The hawks were the Mustapha boys, while the other group comprised of those who, ordinarily should rank high on the rating list by virtue of rank and experience, but who were not Mustapha’s confidants.
After Buba, there was Mr David Ogungbemile who acted as the CG Of Customs to pave way for Dr Bernard Shaw Nwadialor who spent the greater part of the opportunity as the Customs boss to celebrate his record as the first Igbo man CG of Customs.
Buba has come and gone, but the emergence of Hamman as the new CG might have witnessed the bitterest fight as senior officers from the rank of Comptrollers engage one another in a game of survival and succession.
When out of the blues, Hamman Bello was appointed as the substantive Customs boss; very few people doubted the fact that it was an interregnum.
When the then-President, Alhaji Umar Musa Yar’ Adua then appointed Diko Abdulahi Inde in 2009, there was apprehension about the future of the Service.
Those who doubted then didn’t see Alh Diko as being able to turn the Custom Service from an object of ridicule and plummeting to an envious public institution that it has turned out to be.
Before his appointment, the Nigeria Customs Service got plummeted on all fronts, while her personnel are blamed for all shortcomings in the process of cargo clearance, be it at the ports or at other entry points.
When Dikko assumed on duty with his seven-point agenda, which according to him, is all that the Customs require to regaining its lost glory and repositioning effectively and discharge her responsibilities. While permeate best practices comparable to what is obtainable in other countries of the world.
The Customs Comptroller General had admitted inherited low-morale officers – very disorderly and with ‘zero’ attitude to work. It was like one found himself in a classroom of people who didn’t understand A or B and you have to teach them afresh how to do things correctly.
Dikko said his plan was to immediately request from the Customs Board, a department of human resources for workforce overhaul. In addition, he sought the help of the World Customs Organisation (WCO) and other customs administration, like India, Canada and France to come to Nigeria’s aid, adding that they all gave positive responses.
He further said “We also looked into the issue of motivation in terms of salaries and allowances, and their salaries were increased by 100 per cent to induce them to do their jobs well”.
It is right to say that the Customs of 2012 is far better off, than that of 2009 when the incumbent management was constituted.
Looking at the working relationship between the customs officers and the importers have been significantly improved, hence reduction in corruption. As at present, the cargo clearance procedure is getting to the level where it will be possible for a Freight Forwarder to make his or her declaration through the internet, make payments and get the consignment released without seeing the customs officer.
This is not over emphasising statement adding that technological advancement in the service such as e-payment, e-remittance and e-declaration of goods has further helped in achieving increased revenue collection and curbed the usual customs officer- Freight Forwarders fraternity and contact.
The staff welfare, salaries, allowances and Promotion is one of the positive things that the current management of the service is being commended form in the Customs as it never been as regular as been in the last couple of years back.
Addition to the above is the provision of work tools for the service’s personnel, both in the offices, border and ports.
Hundreds of Hilux patrol jeeps equipped with communication gadgets and thousands of AK47 rifles for anti-smuggling patrol and border security unit were procured, along with sophisticated patrol boats for the sea and helicopter for air patrol.
The systemic transformation in the Nigeria Customs Service is undergoing are numbers of officers who still belief in the old system of as usual, even though new things are happening around them.
As result of that some frequent allegation of corruption and collusion by Freight Forwarders against customs officers do happen therefore more efforts still needed to be done.