Promotion:  Customs Board Put Smile On The Faces Of Comptrollers Nnadi, Omale, Ejibunu, Oyeka And Others

By Stephen Ubanna

When the Customs Board, under the chairmanship of Wale Edun, minister of Finance and Coordinating minister of the economy and Chairman , Customs Board, approved the elevation of S. Chiroma, as a Deputy Comptroller General of Customs, DCG, and the appointment   Compt. Dera  Nnadi, former Area Controller, Tincan Island Command,  and seven others including Kehinde Hussain Ejibunu, Coordinator, Operation Whirlwind, and Musa Omale, a former Area Controller, Sokoto/ Zamfara Command, and currently, at Nigeria Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, NIPS, Jos, Capital of Plateau state, many knew that the senior officers promotion list will released soon. The promotion list of the junior officers had earlier been approved and released.

Edun: minister of Finance, and Chairman, Customs Board

The Customs Comptroller General, may have proved bookmakers right when Deputy Comptrollers Frank Oyeka, who was in-charge of the Apapa exit, but waiting for his promotion to the rank of Comptroller, was approved as the Area Controller of Tin can Island Command to replace, acting ACG, Nnadi.

Mohammed Salisu, Shuaibu, another, DC, overseeing the defunct Joint Border Drill, sector II, was also appointed to take over from Compt. James Ojo, who had retired from the service as the Area Controller, Ogun I, Idiroko Command.

 The appointment of the two DCs into the strategic positions, clearly shows that their names were among the 80 Deputy Comptrollers who had sat for the promotion examinations to become Comptrollers and passed.  It was a matter of time for the full list of the promoted DCs, to the enviable rank of Comptroller and other senior officers who had been promoted to be released this December.

Compt. Nnadi: Appointed by the Customs Board as acting ACG

 This may have informed why at the 61st regular meeting of the Customs Board, they had had confirmed no fewer than 4, 291, officers who were said to have been promoted to the next rank.

A statement by Abdullahi Maiwada, a Chief Superintendent of Customs and Customs spokesperson, who was said to have merited the promotion to move to the rank of an Assistant Comptroller, had confirmed that  80 DCs, had scaled the hurdle to become full Comptrollers,   151, Assistant Comptrollers, moved to DC rank while  612, Chief Superintendent of Customs , CSC, were to Assistant Comptroller rank.

Acting Acting ACG. Nnadi & acting Compt. oyeka , who had been promoted to the enviable rank of Comptroller in a handshake during handover at Tincan Island Command

 Still on the senior officer’s cadre, 641, Superintendents of Customs were said to have been promoted to the rank of Chief Superintendent of Customs. And 392, Deputy Superintendents of Customs moved to Superintendent of Customs.

Going by the statement by CSC, Maiwada, awaiting to be decorated with his new rank of AC, 590, Assistant Superintendents of Customs I, were elevated to DSC, and 965, Assistant Superintendents of Customs II, moved to the rank of ASC i. The Customs Board, was said to have also put smiles on the faces of  860 Inspectors  of Customs to ASC II.

CSC, CUstoms, NPRO, promoted Assistant Comptroller, waiting to be decorated with the new rank

The Customs Board had reported that the promotion of the senior officers highlights the exceptional performance of both the General Duty and Support Staff personnel during the 2024, promotion exercise. 

The Customs Board was said to have approved the Special promotion of 16 officers, which had been attributed to the exceptional performance in their assigned responsibilities.  The Board may not have left any officer that was due for promotion but who have died. This may have informed why DC. Etop Essien, who had died on June 25, 2024, during a presentation before the Nation Assembly House Committee on PUBLIC Accounts.

Compt. Omale: Appointed acting ACG, currently at NIPS,Jos, Plateau state

 The minister of Finance and Coordinating minister of the Economy, Edun, led Customs Board, may have gladdened the heart of 16 officers, including Comptrollers, who were said to be due for retirement, due to their  alleged exceptional performance  in office.   

The good news about the recent Customs Board meeting in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, was the restructuring of the services by moving the Post Clearance Audit, PCA, from the Trade and Tarriff, Department to the Comptroller General’s office for proper supervision to be headed by an ACG.   

The Board may have taken the bold initiative based on the recommendation of the Customs helmsman   to ensure stronger oversight function, increased efficiency and alignment with the service commitment to excellence in operational standards. One of the senior officers whose tenure was said to have been extended was Compt. Awe, who is in-charge of the Murtala Mohammed Airport, MMA, Command, but involved in several Customs activities that are yet to be completed.

One of the projects initiated and executed by Compt. Michael Awe at the MMA, that was said to have handled by the MMA, Command, Area Controller, whose tenure had been extended by the Customs Board was the multi-million naira  Multi-purpose  sport complex  named after the Comptroller General.

The Customs Comptroller.General may have used the extension of his service by an additional one year to compensate for executing the multi-purpose sport complex, which he had said   would serve officers \within and outside the airport Command as well as stakeholders and other officers for other government agencies.

Compt. Ejibunu,Coordinator, Operation Whirlwind, appointed acting ACG

The Customs boss was said to have repeatedly said while commissioning the sporting Complex facility at the airport, that he is happy with the project initiative because sporting activities make officers fit into rigorous physical and mental work they do regularly and balance their work life with healthy leaving.

In Congratulating the newly appointed Management Team members and the senior officers promoted including those who were retained in the service, for another one despite being due for retirement, the Customs Comptroller General, was said to have urged them ‘’to uphold the service core mandate of ‘’revenue generation, trade facilitation and enforcement and pursue excellence’’.        

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