BRITISH BORN COMPT GAMBO ALIYU SAYS HE WILL NOT SPEND A DAY LONGER AT THE FOU’A’ IF TRANSFERRED OUT
British born gentleman and Controller of the Federal Operations Unit (FOU), zone A , Compt Gambo Aliyu has hinted that he would not stay a day longer in office if he is transferred out.
This is coming against the backdrop of the ugly experience at the same Unit where a Controller was redeployed eleven months ago, and he held the Unit hostage, holding on to the position in defiance of explicit directive from the customs headquarters in Abuja.
What looked like an embarrassment however, took the subtle threat or a likely intervention of the customs police before he could hand over to the then Controller MS Shuaibu, now Assistant Comptroller General (ACG) Headquarters.
In an interview on the sidelines of the Press briefing held yesterday on the unusual long address he delivered, which looked like a valedictory speech, and in view of the imminent changes in the service, I asked Compt Aliyu if he was too sure that he was not saying goodbye to us from the Unit; and if he was confident that he would address us again so soon.
Beaming with. Smiles, he said he was ever prepared to get moving once he is transferred.
‘From here at the Customs Training College (venue of the briefing), if my redeployment letter comes before I get to my office at the FOU, I won’t stay a day longer than necessary’ he deposed.
As a regimented service , and as one who respects protocol, the FOU’A’ boss was of the view that he will not forget nothing but would simply move on.
Due to his cosmopolitan nature, Aliyu has shown that all officers are equal, even though on different hierarchical capacities.
You can extract his simplicity, humility and discipline when any of his subordinates is speaking while he is around, he will allow you mount the dais while he stands behind you.
He is not carried away by the notion (right or wrong) that one can be so rich in the service, as he carries contentment as a barge of honour. A man who does not lobby for any position is rare in our environment today and that’s what perhaps separates him from his tribesmen.
Peace and tranquility has become the order at the Unit, the kind that was subsisting at the time of his immediate past predecessor. Believing in the carrot and stick approach and in the boosting of officers morale, he spoke of an inbuilt mechanism and policy by the management where officers who have excelled would be rewarded.
Such awards could come in terms of roll of honour, letter of commendations, as well as the upward movement in ranks for officers who have made exceptional seizures. Giving credence to this policy, he pointed to several special promotions to officers extended by the current Comptroller General. Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, PhD.
At the moment, he maintained that they are taking notes of very hard working officers, pledging that at the right time they would be honored. A man who sparingly calls for press briefing, says he does it big whenever it comes.
Since he came on board, he has made mouth watering seizures in so short a time, running into about N10 billion. Arms and ammunition, hard drugs, majorly cocaine, loud, foreign parboiled rice, state of the art tokunbo vehicles feature as some of the striking interceptions.