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New changes are expected to be made in the leadership of Nigeria Customs Service by the Presidency, according to Presidency sources, the changes are coming on the heels of the Comptroller General, Jacob Gyang Buba's expected retirement from the Service, after a four-year tenure.
•As Gyang ends tenure
New changes are expected to be made in the leadership of Nigeria Customs Service by the Presidency, according to Presidency sources, the changes are coming on the heels of the Comptroller General, Jacob Gyang Buba's expected retirement from the Service, after a four-year tenure.
The out-going comptroller-General succeeded Aliyu Mustapha in March 2004.
However, his leadership was rocked by a scandal of alleged fraud, subversion of due process and inflation of contract spending, running into billions of naira. But Gyang survived it.
Three men in the Customs Service are being tipped for the post of the comptroller general. Among the three officers are: two assistant comptroller generals and one comptroller.
The officers are Ade Fadahunsi; an assistant comptroller general, Sanni Nuhu, assistant comptroller general and Comptroller Alli Wakili. Sources hinted that the three men have been penciled down and one of them is expected to emerge at the helm of affairs at the Nigerian Customs Service.
No one is sure of who will finally get the nod of President Umaru Yar'Adua, but observers noted that there is great expectation amongst the rank and file of customs.
However, one of the three names being floated, Ade Fadahunsi attended the Strategic Planning Workshop, the World Customs Organisation few months ago with Comptroller General Jacob Buba in Brussels. Others, who attended the workshop, were Baritor Kpagih, an assistant comptroller General, Tayo Othman, Comptroller Rasheed Owolabi Taiwo and Julius Nwagu.
Brussels is the headquarters of the World Customs Organisations and the forum provided a platform for the customs' high command to develop a Strategic Action Plan for the Nigerian Customs Services following the WCO's 2006 recommendation of a short-term, mid-term and long-term action plan for the development of customs in Nigeria.
Just before now, the Nigeria Custom Service has redeployed seven of its comptrollers as part of efforts to reposition the service.
Affected in the exercise were Mrs Eno Ofem, who was posted to head the Customs Training College in Kano, while the erstwhile commandant of the college, Bolaji Yusuf proceeded on a nine-month course at the Nigerian Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Jos.
Also, a new salary package that enhanced the take-home pay for its officials was approved by the out-going comptroller general.
Gyang's watch saw an increase in revenue accruing to government. In 2007 alone, the service generated about N334 billion income into the national purse.
But, whoever emerges the new Comptroller General would have to deal with a number of nagging problems still besetting the organization.
One of these is the persistent corruption at the ports. Despite the ports reform programme, Daily Sun learnt that officers at the nation's entry points still receive bribes amongst other vices.
There is also the issue of officers' connivance with smugglers to import things into the country, particularly through he West African border posts.
There is equally the need to sanitize the Federal Government's policy on waivers/exemption on duties as by Gyang's admission, government lost about N57 billion in revenue in the last three years due to indiscriminate invocation of waivers.
The policy of two days goods clearance at the ports has also remained a tall order.