There is anxiety within the topmost echelon of the Nigeria Customs Service following indications that the Federal Government may have finally decided to once again rejig the service’s management.
After months of speculations, it has now been confirmed that Government is now in search of a replacement for the Comptroller General of Customs; Alhajio Dikko Abdulahi Inde.
There is anxiety within the topmost echelon of the Nigeria Customs Service following indications that the Federal Government may have finally decided to once again rejig the service’s management.
After months of speculations, it has now been confirmed that Government is now in search of a replacement for the Comptroller General of Customs; Alhajio Dikko Abdulahi Inde.
Sources at the Ministry of Finance hinted our correspondent last week that, the minister; Dr Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, who is also the chairman of the board of Nigeria Customs Service has been able to convince the Presidency of the need to find a replacement for Dikko.
Consequently, the Presidency is said to be weighing two options, which are; to appoint an acting Comptroller General, or to appoint a substantive head for the strategic agency.
If the first option is finally endorsed, then the most senior Deputy Comptroller General; Mr John Atte may step in as acting CG of Customs soon.
“He will serve for a few months, and a substantive CG will be appointed form the rank of either the DCGs or ACGs”, our source hinted last week.
The highly placed source, however added that government is more favourably disposed to appointing a substantive CG from the rank of ACGs.
“You remember that, apart from Atte, other DGCs were recently promoted, the thinking is that since Dikko has succeeded in introducing PAAR and having carried out his reforms, we need to allow a younger cadre to carry on”, he disclosed.
But another source within the Ministry told our correspondents that, he (Dikko) was to have been removed since his tenure expired last year, he pleaded to be allowed to complete the reform, even though he was working on the review if the Customs Bill. “It is this Customs Bill thing that added to his problems”.
Our correspondent was also told last week that the recent open disagreement over waiver and export expansion grant further widened the gap for Dikko.
Both the ministry of finance and the Presidency were said to have viewed the story which went viral last week in bad light.
The Customs boss was seen as submitting contradicting figures and details of the amount of waiver and export expansion that was granted last year to the National Assembly so as to embarrass the Government.
Shipping Position Daily recalls that the board headed by the minister recently changed the management of Customs, but left Dikko and Atte, for the simple fact that both of them are still within the Civil service age bracket and not due for retirement yet.
Our sources vowed that the incumbent CG will leave as soon as the succession option is settled.
When contacted, the head of public relations of the Nigeria Customs Service; Mr Wale Adeniyi denied any knowledge of any impending shake-up.
“There is only one CG, and he is in charge. I am not in the know of any plan to remove him, and I don’t want to be dragged into that rumour”, he told Shipping Position Daily on Friday.
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