It is quite a long time since capacity to deliver was given the back seat in national Service; in the last ten years. It reached a climax that religion and tribe were major considerations in placing the workforce on certain positions, other than merit.
That cankerworm called impunity to oppress a segment of the Nigerian society especially those said to be in the minority and others easily classified as a small ‘dot’ in the nation’s map is gradually becoming history ‘with the coming of the new Customs Comptroller General.
The Customs Service can now breath, and is liberated from the shackles of federal grip of those who see themselves as ‘born to rule”.
Since his ascension to the ‘throne’, he has left no one in doubt that he means well; not coming to play tribal cards, nor be a ruler but leader to show the way, with decades of credentials as someone who has served scores of former Customs helmsmen as a distinguished Image maker.
He knows where the shoes are pinching, who should be where, and can easily identify those with requisite pedigrees to lift the Service beyond the 21 century expectations. This, he has done in the last three months he mounted the dais.
You can’t puncture his appointments and choice of the management team so far, you can as well go to sleep with the recent deployments of Area Controllers and retention of hard working ones.
Revenue generation, anti-smuggling operations and trade facilitation remain core mandates of the Customs Service. Now, the eggheads at the Premier Command and Tincan Island Ports Apapa, Comptrollers Jaiyeoba and Nnadi are tested and trusted men of integrity.
The Comptroller General did exceedingly well by retaining the anti-smuggling czar at the Federal Operations Units, zone ‘A’ and ‘C’, Hussein Ejibunu and Kayode Kolade and going the extra mile to beef up the great mobilizer himself – Ahmadu Shuaibu, an officer who gave smugglers a bloody nose while he held sway as the Co-ordinator of the CG Strike force, zone ‘A’. He equally squeezed out water from the rock as Area Controller of Ogun Excise Command in Abeokuta where he raked in Billions of naira as excise duty and increased excisable firms in the State.
Comptroller Mohammed Sani Yusuf, humble, strategic, revenue and enforcement officer at the Murtala Muhammed Airport Command is one officer who has proved his mettle, he raised the bar at his last posting as Co-ordinator, CG Strike force, zone ‘A’, with monthly revenue target of a billion naira to his Unit then, he didn’t disappoint. His kernel was cracked by a benevolent spirit and his star shone, with promotion and subsequent deployment as Area Controller. As soon as he and Shuaibu left the CG Strike force, it was the last requiem for the Unit.
To date, he has placed his hands on the plough doubling the monthly revenue of the Command. I salute the CG for retaining him as well.
Comptrollers Timi Bomodi and Chana are making great impacts. With their deployments, the Service will witness a new phase in its operations. It really takes a good leader to hunt for the best ‘eleven.