There are indications that Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Hameed Ali, may extend the 14 days deadline given to Customs operatives across the country to declare their assets.
Ali had on January 15 directed all Customs officers and men to make full disclosure of their assets within 14 days.
According to the circular, which was signed by the Customs boss, the new measure was put in place to ensure transparency and compliance with the Rule of Law.
SHIPS & PORTS DAILY had reported on Tuesday January 26 that only a handful of Customs operatives had obtained the assets declaration form, an indication that most of the officers may not be able to meet the two weeks deadline.
Some officers who spoke with our correspondent weekend confirmed that while most of the officers were yet to obtain the asset declaration form from the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), others who have collected the forms had not been able to complete and return same.
A senior officer at one of the commands in Lagos who craved anonymity said filling the form requires some form of technicality hence they had to wait for schedule officers from the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) to put them through.
The officer said Customs management would likely yield to request for the deadline extension because according to him, officers are the not the cause of the delay.
He said, “Even those of us that have applied, they have not given us the forms. We have applied since over a week and we are still waiting for them.
“The CCB will not even give you the forms; they will bring them to the commands so that they can put officers through on how they will fill it.
“The form is a booklet; not something one can fill easily. It has a process, so it is not our fault that we could not meet up with the deadline so they just have to extend it.
“The headquarters will decide on that because there are so many officers that have not done theirs,” he told SHIPS & PORTS DAILY.
Customs spokesman, Wale Adeniyi could not be reached for comments as at the time of filing in this report.
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