The Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Alhaji Dikko Abdullahi yesterday seized the opportunity of a scheduled visit to Lagos to clear the air on latest media report that government was scouting for his replacement.
The Customs boss told reporters at the end of a closed door meeting with senior officers from Lagos commands that, the reports were mere rumours.
"I still say it today to whoever cares to listen, that today, customs is the best service in Nigeria", Dikko bragged.
The Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Alhaji Dikko Abdullahi yesterday seized the opportunity of a scheduled visit to Lagos to clear the air on latest media report that government was scouting for his replacement.
The Customs boss told reporters at the end of a closed door meeting with senior officers from Lagos commands that, the reports were mere rumours.
"I still say it today to whoever cares to listen, that today, customs is the best service in Nigeria", Dikko bragged.
Dikko assured his officers after the meeting which held at the Apapa area command that despite rumours that government was shopping for his replacement, he is still very much in the saddle as Comptroller General of the Customs.
Apparently referring to those who have reportedly being judtifying reasons to replace him, he said: "You cannot go and talk about Customs negatively before Mr. President because there is no doubt about it that we have done wonderfully well".
The Customs boss hinted that the service is ready to promote more officers from each of the commands; he however noted that such promotions will be carried out based on recommendation of Area Controllers.
Although no journalist was allowed into the meeting, Dikko at the end also told reporters that the purpose of his visit was to commend the officers for performing creditably in the implementation of the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR).
Following recent complaints by agents on the querying of already issued PAAR, the Customs boss stated that the non-compliant attitude of importers led to the frequent queries.
"We are not querying PAAR, we query the intention and the declarations, when you examine some of the cargoes, you realise that it is not what was in the PAAR that is in the container" , he explained.
Addressing his officers, Dikko stated that, "It has been nine months now after destination inspection, we have proved the nation that we can do it even though the road was rough, I cannot attribute the success to me alone, but to the entire management"
The customs boss also said that as it is, nobody can checkmate the customs service."Nobody can check us because you don't know how the system operates", he boasted.
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