Immediate past chairman, Tin Can Island Chapter of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Dr. Kayode Farinto has asked the publisher of Shipping World Magazine, Elder Asu Beks to send his findings about the Comptroller General of Customs, Alhaji Dikko Abdulahi to government to investigate instead of passing a judgment on his own.
While speaking with newsmen in his office over the weekend, Farinto said Asu Beks as a senior journalist should have sent his findings on Abdullahi to the Presidency instead of maligning the character of the Customs boss on the pages of newspapers.
It would be recalled that in one of the recent editions of Asu Beks publication, Shipping World, Abdullahi was accused of silently sponsoring the campaign of the opposition All Progressive Congress (APC) against the second term ambition of President Goodluck Jonathan.
“If Mr. Asu Beks knows his onions, he is supposed to pass his findings to the government. Rather, what he did was to say he has his facts; he has investigated and found him wanting.
“That goes against the rules of journalism which allow you to analyse and investigate but not to pass judgment which he has done,” Farinto, who is the CEO of Wealthy Honey Investment Limited, said.
Farinto said rather than castigate Customs boss, Abdullahi deserves commendation for transforming the Nigeria Customs Service in line with the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan.
“Most stakeholders in the industry know the role Dikko has played to ensure that President Jonathan’s transformation agenda is carried out to the latter.
“Before the administration of Dikko, the Nigerian Customs Service was collecting not more than N30b into Federation account monthly but Dikko with his modernisation of the Customs Service has increased the revenue to over N100bn monthly.
“Custom has done well under Dikko especially in the area of revenue generation. I will give them 70 per cent. Also, when Dikko came in, the morale of Customs officers was down but when he came on board as CGC, he upped their morale by seeing to their welfare.
“Mr. President needs to advise his kinsmen because their outburst and careless and inciting statement can make many people like us not to want to work for the reelection of the President.
“Also, we all know that Dikko has contributed immensely to the success of Mr. President’s administration especially with the recent introduction of the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR), which is a home grown document that has equally saved the federal government billions of naira they are paying to destination inspection agencies,” he added.
Copyright Ships & Ports Ltd. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit given to www.shipsandports.com.ng as the source.