The race for the post of Comptroller General of Customs has commenced and at least three choices from the rank of Assistant Comptroller General have been penciled down.
Shipping Position Daily confirmed last week that, while the new government of President Muhammadu Buhari won’t be in a hurry to announce such appointments, he may be forced to announce replacements sooner than expected.
The incumbent; Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko Inde became the Comptroller-General of the Customs on August 17, 2009; he is in his sixth year.
The race for the post of Comptroller General of Customs has commenced and at least three choices from the rank of Assistant Comptroller General have been penciled down.
Shipping Position Daily confirmed last week that, while the new government of President Muhammadu Buhari won’t be in a hurry to announce such appointments, he may be forced to announce replacements sooner than expected.
The incumbent; Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko Inde became the Comptroller-General of the Customs on August 17, 2009; he is in his sixth year.
Sources at the Finance Ministry told our our correspondent that, the former Minister of Finance; Dr Ngozo Okonjo Iweala had pushed for Dikko’s removal a few times, but she failed.
However, it was gathered that one of the reasons she couldn’t pull it through was because her choice would have further pitched the former President against a particular tribe that has been alleging marginalization.
But our correspondents in Lagos and Abuja confirmed last week that the new government plans to appoint either the Inspector General of Police or the Comptroller General of Customs from the South West.
Just like in the Police where the next IGP will come from the rank of AIG, the next CG Customs will come from the rank of ACG.
To achieve this, the six Deputies Comptroller General (DCGs) are likely to be removed. They are: John Atte South South , Ibrahim Mera (North West), Gabriel Aliu (North Central) and Tahir Musa (North East) and Chukwuma Nwosu (South-East), Ade Adewuyi (South- West).
If the lost fell on Customs CG, then three are already being considered. They are: Ade Dousumu from Lagos State, Adesina Odunmbaku, Ogun State and Dr David Olusegun Agbaje from Ondo State. Agbaje is the most senior ACG from the South West.
While much is unknown about the ambition of both Dosunmu and Odumbaku, Dr Agbaje’s name is coming up for the second time.
Dr Agbaje who holds a PhD in English Studies had served in various capacities in the Nigeria Customs Service before he was promoted to the position of an Assistant Comptroller-General in January, 2010, is however due for retirement in 2017 when he would have attained the mandatory 35 years in service
But insiders also informed our correspondent that the incumbent Comptroller General is not giving up on his ambition to stay on.
He is bent on playing the ethnic cards, having hailed from the same state as the new President.
Another ace is the recent unprecedented discovery of 75 warehouses in Kano where imported textiles were illegally concealed. The textiles were valued at N319.7 billion.
Some opponents of Dikko have questioned the timing of the seizures, alleging that it was stage-managed to coincide with the inauguration of the new President to score a point.
They wondered why it took the Customs so much time to unearth the Chinese, why they also wonder how the textiles got into the country.
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