Customs redeploys 20 Comptrollers

No fewer than 20 Comptrollers of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) have been redeployed in the latest round of postings by the Service.
In what could be described as a tradition of the Service led by Customs Comptroller-General Dikko Inde Abdullahi, the affected Comptrollers had barely spent six months in their respective former posts before being redeployed.
As part of the changes from records made available to SHIPS & PORTS DAILY, Comptroller Dan Ugo moved to Risk Management Unit at the Customs Headquarter, Abuja, from Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone ‘A’, while Comptroller Tunji Aremu was redeployed from his position as Customs Area Comptroller (CAC), Tin-Can Island Port Area Command to Human Resource Development also at the Customs Headquarters.
All the affected Comptrollers are expected to have resumed at their new posting yesterday.

Meanwhile, the National President, Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Prince Olayiwola Shittu, has rationalised the frequent changes of CACs by the incumbent Customs Management.
Speaking with SHIPS & PORTS DAILY at his office, Shittu was of the viewpoint that while it is unusual for a CAC to be transferred away from a command he has presided over for barely six months, the reason for this trend may be to avail “idle” Customs Comptrollers of opportunities to also head commands in busy operational areas.
He, however, noted that while it is at the discretion of the Customs Management to reshuffle its Area Controllers whenever it deems fit, the frequency of the changes may not be the best for administration of the commands and port operations at large.
In his words: “It is unusual and it has not been the norm that Area Controllers are removed even under three months. What we are used to has been Area Controllers staying in one place for two years after which eventually you go. But to me it’s either there are so many Comptrollers idling away elsewhere and the Management just believes that the musical chair should affect everyone.

“I do not have anything against how the Service decides to run, there are advantages and disadvantages. A Controller that is so long in a place seems to be part of the system and there must be something the bosses see that we may not be privileged to see. Also, a CAC that has been removed almost immediately may not have been able to carry out certain plans he has in sanitising the area before he is taken away.
“Most importantly, the one that has not been substantiated is the fact that most CACs because of the frequent changes have become powerless. They are no longer in charge of their officers! A DC could be in the ports for five years and that DC could have seen up to 10 CACs. The bottom line now is CACs are afraid of what their juniors will go and report about them upstairs and that is causing part of the distortions in the ports. There are officers that are much more relevant, powerful and connected than their CACs, so a CAC turns out to be an administrator in name not in operation.”