By Stephen Ubanna
Not many were surprised that Bello Mohammed Jibo, could attain the enviable rank of Deputy Comptroller General of Customs, DCG, and to head the service Enforcement, Inspections and Investigations Department barely two years of being appointed an Assistant Comptroller General, ACG, of Customs.
His appointment to oversee the Customs Enforcement, Inspection and Investigation Department may not be unconnected to his outstanding performance in clipping the wings of the unrepentant, smugglers using the creeks and watersides within the Seme jurisdictions, a border Community between Nigeria and Benin Republic to carry out their nefarious activities, particular, particular , smugle Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, popular, petrol , and other Contraband, such as foreign rice, vegetable oil and fairly used vehicles, pneumatic tyres, cannabis sativa and fairly used clothing among others.
He was said to have dealt decisively with the smugglers operating with the Seme and Badagry Jurisdictions, that many of them to relocate toIdiroko and its environs in Ogun state , where there are over 90 illegal smuggler routes while some found their way to Saki and Iseyin axis in Oyo state, Kwarra and Niger states, described as home of petrol, foreign rice and fairly used vehicle smugglers. Many believe that that new DCG , Enforcement , Inspection and Investigation will deliver on his mandate given his experience on anti-smuggling operations.
The new DCG, who was said to have been confirmed alongside four other DCGs and eight ACGs, following the gale of retirement in the Barshir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, led Management team and which was said to have prepared the ground for the Nigerian Customs Service Board, NCSB, chaired by Wale Edun, minister of Finance and Coordinating minister of the Economy, to fill the vacuum that was said to have been created by the retirees.
A statement by Abdullahi Maiwada, a Chief Superintendent of Customs shows that the other Confirmed DCGs, CK Niagwan , SA Bomai, BU Nwanfor and OO Peters, who had retired from the service were assigned their new offices.
Going by CSC. Maiwada press statement, DCG .Niagwan, was deployed to Hed Trade and Tariff , T&T, Department, while DCG Bomai, who had served as a-one time Area Controller of Federal Operations Unit, FOU, Zone B, Kaduna, which covers the north western states of Kaduna, Katsina, home state of former President Muhammadu Buhari, Sokoto, Zamfara, Kebbi, Jigawa , Kano, and the north central states of Kwara, Niger, Benue, Plateau, Kogi and Nasarawa, including Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, anti-smuggling operations, was appointed the new Commander, Training and Doctrine Command.
DCG Nwanfor, was said to have been appointed to oversee the Affairs of the Customs Excise, Free Trade Zone and Industrial Incentives Department. The last but not the least of the confirmed DCGs, Peters, was said to have retired as the Commander, Training and Doctrine Command, a position , currently being occupied by DCG. Bomai.
Among the new ACGs, B.Imam, who incidentally was a former Area Controller of Port Harcourt Area II, Onne, was said to have been given the secretary of the Customs Board porfolio while AAS Oloyede, who had performed creditably well in generating huge revenue for the government and dealing with fraudulent importers as a former Tincan Island Area Command Area Controller despite the down turn in the economy was said to have been moved to T& T, because of his technical knowledge.
CSC Maiwada, Press statement also shows that the vacuums that had been created at Customs Zonal Headquarters in Kaduna, Zone C Owerri, Imo state and Zone D, Bauchi, in north eastern states , have been filled by the trio of SK. Dangladima, who was said to have dealt frontally with the fraudulent clearing agents who recycle airways bills at Murtala Mohammed Airport Command, CO Orbih and A Abdulazeez, as Zonal Coordinators respectively.
The Customs spokesperson had reported that SA Yusuf, another confirmed ACG, was moved to the Hman Resource Department, NP Umoh, Training and Doctrine Command and S Chiroma, to Strategic Research and Poicy.
The minister who had chaired the Board meeting at the Customs Headquarters at the FCT, had said that ‘’the principles of Federal Character, seniority and merit had guided the appointments approved by the Board to fill the vacancies created by some senior officers who recently retired from the service” to calm frayed nerves.
The minister, who could not hide his feelings had told those that cares to listen that ‘’the appointments are a testament to the officers’ exemplary services and dedication to duty’’. He reiterated that the NCSB, remains committed ‘’to providing strategic Leadership to ensure effective and efficient service delivery for optimum performance’’.
Adeniyi, the Customs Comptroller General and Vice Chairman of the Customs Board while thanking the retired members of the Management team for their meritorious services , was said to have used the opportunity to congratulate the newly confirmed DCGs and ACGs, who were said to have been welcome to the Customs Management to contribute their own quota to the reengineering of the of the service to deliver on its Presidential mandate.
The Customs Comptroller General was said to have charged the new DCGs and ACGs, ‘’redouble their efforts to ensure that the service attains greater heights in its mandates of revenue generation, suppression of smuggling and trade facilitation” amongst otherNote that for the 2024, fiscal year, Tinubu’s government was said to have set a revenue target of N5.7 trillion for the service , which , an insider had said translates to N23 billion monthly.
As a prelude to achieving the target, the Area Controllers serving at the strategic revenue generating Commands like Apapa, Tin can Island , Port Terminal Multi-services limited, PTML, PortHarcourt II, Onne, particular, were said to have tightened the noose against the fraudulent importers with their agents as well as blocked areas of revenue Leakages at their various Commands to meet and surpass their monthly revenue targets.
The revenue posted by the service in the first quarter of this 2024, speaks volume. The service was said to have collected and paid into the Federation Account a total of about N1.35 trillion, compared to the N606.2bilion that was said to have been generated within the same period last year under the previous Administration of Hameed Ali, a retired Army Colonel and Buhari’s political ally.The Customs spokespokeson had said that an additional N1.6 billion was generated through the service electronic auction platform launched in the first quarter of this year.
