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Tag: Customs boss

  • Ogun Customs boss restates commitment to contraband seizure

    The controller of Ogun State Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service, Mr Michael Agbara has vowed to make life unbearable for smugglers.

    Agbara spoke on Tuesday at the Idiroko border office of the command in Ipokia Local Government Area of the state.

    He said the command under his watch would continue to pursue smugglers and seized contraband wherever they are hidden or kept in line with customs mandate.

    Agbara noted that his men intercepted 7,030 bags of smuggled foreign ice, and 38 used vehicles popularly known as Tokunbo, among other contraband in May 2019.

    Read Also: Customs boss approves redeployment of 70 comptrollers

    ‘’If the recalcitrant smugglers refuse to change, we would chase them away from this state. If they like let them build their warehouses inside forest, we will go there to seize all the smuggled rice and other contraband there,

    ‘If they like, let them put the rice in their houses, we will pick them up there in line with our statutory mandate.’’

    He said  that the command recorded revenue totalling N1, 131,800,165.10 within the period under review, adding that ‘’other seizures made were 411 kegs of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol), 372 kegs of vegetable oil, and one sack of used clothes.

    He said the command overshot its monthly target by  N488, 328,401.11.

    “The seizure of over 7,000 bags of rice for the month of May 2019 is the highest monthly seizure of rice made by the command during the 2019 fiscal year. It is unprecedented. Others are 1,835 pairs of new shoes, 264 pairs of used ones, motorcycles and bags of sugar.’’

  • Customs boss approves redeployment of 70 comptrollers

    The Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), retired Col. Hameed Ali, has approved the redeployment of 70 Comptrollers to meet the challenges of fighting smuggling, revenue collection and trade facilitation.

    Ali announced this in a statement by the Service Public Relations Officer, Mr Joseph Attah, on Friday in Abuja.

    Attah said “among those affected were Comptrollers Abubakar Bashir,  who moves from Port-Harcourt II (Onne) to Apapa; Musa Jibrin from Apapa to Human Resources Development.

    “Comptroller Sa’idu Galadima who moves from Information Communication Technology (ICT) to Port-Harcourt Area II (Onne), while Comptroller, Mohammed Aliyu of Seme Command swapped positions with Comptroller Mohammed Garba of Federal Operations Unit Zone ‘A’ among others”, Attah said.

    Attah said the CGC, while giving his approval for the redeployment, said the Federal Government policies on Agriculture, Economy and Security could only be successful with a strong, determined and patriotic Customs Service.

    According to him, the CGC urges all affected officers to bring their experiences to bear in the new postings by fighting smugglers to standstill and collecting every collectable revenue.

    “In the face of challenging security situation and increasing inclination to non-oil revenue drive, the service must step up to be counted as a necessary safety valve for national growth, ” he added.

    “The reshufflement  is with immediate effect,” he added.

  • Shed weight or lose your job, Customs boss warns officers

    •40 officers graduate from junior course

    The Nigerian Customs Services (NCS) has threatened to sack overweight officials.

    Its Comptroller-General, Col. Hameed Ali (retd) gave the warning during the Nigerian Customs Command and Staff College graduation ceremony for its junior course in Abuja yesterday.

    He advised some overweight officers of the service to get back in shape or risk losing their jobs.

    Ali said: “We are going to put in place a weight level. If you go beyond a certain weight level, you will be put on probation.

    “If you cannot cope, we will probably get you out. Obesity should not be part of us; that is why we are called paramilitary.”

    The customs boss also urged officers who are yet to key into the reformation going on in the service to do so immediately.

    “Today, we have been able to place customs on a high pedestal.  People respect customs, not because of anything, but because we are beginning to change the way we do business.

    “We are not asking for bribe anymore, although it’s still going on, but not in many places. Also, we are not living flamboyantly,” he said.

    A total of 40 junior officers graduated with nine being female.

    He urged the junior officers to align themselves with the content of the manual of service because it will improve the standard of communications in the service.

    Ali also called for more capacity building as a key to repositioning the custom service to function as a modern custom organization.

    The college commandant, ACG Eporwei Edike, said the college will continue to produce officers who will make a difference in the ongoing effort to reform the service.

     

     

  • Senators, Customs boss in new face-off over protocol

    Senators, Customs boss in new face-off over protocol

    Lawmakers boycott photo session

    Mr CG, rather than meeting us here at the conference room by way of courtesy, you are supposed to have met us at the ground floor on arrival into the premises — Melaye

    I don’t need to come downstairs to receive you just as nobody in the Senate or House of Representatives has ever come out to receive us anytime we visit the National Assembly — Col. Ali

    It was meant to be a routine visit, but yesterday’s oversight duty by senators at the Customs headquarters turned out to be more. It sparked another confrontation between them and Comptroller General (CG) Colonel Hameed Ali (retd.).

    The Senate and Col. Ali had a long row over his refusal to appear before the upper chamber in uniform.

    The drama yesterday was triggered by remarks made by the Chairman ad- hoc committee on “Economic Waste in the Nigerian Customs Service”, Senator Dino Melaye, over the manner in which the Senate delegation was received at the Customs Abuja headquarters.

    Melaye noted that Col. Ali, by way of protocol, should have come down from his office to welcome the committee members into the premises.

    The Kogi West lawmaker said it was a breach of protocol for the CG to casually meet the delegation at the conference room.

    Melaye noted that ushering in the senators had been the practice with statutory bodies, such as Immigration, Prisons and others, over the years.

    He wondered why such established etiquette, which he said was the norm under previous Customs CGs was not accorded the committee by Col. Ali.

    Melaye said, “Before reading the prepared speech of the committee, let me make this small remark on what we have just observed here in form of breach of protocols.

    “Mr CG, rather than meeting us here at the conference room by way of courtesy, you are supposed to have met us at the ground floor on arrival into the premises.

    “That has been the practice of statutory bodies headed by Chief Executive Officers like you. Relevant Senate committees have over the years been accorded this by bosses of Immigration Service, Prison Service and others, making us to wonder why it is not so here today under your leadership.

    “Therefore, before proceeding further,  on account of this observation ,  we want the Customs management to know that the presence of this committee before it implies that the Senate itself is before it to put things in order as regards the economic waste taking place in the Customs Service  requiring the  seriousness it deserves from you and the entire  management.”

    Melaye insisted that the committee’s meeting with the Customs management was more or less that of the Senate.

    Apparently to indicate that the Senate was sitting, Melaye hit the gavel on the table to declare the meeting open.

    He read a speech to outline how the committee would carry out its investigation on the alleged economic waste in the Customs Service.

    In a counter attack, the Customs CG told the Senate delegation that the NCS has its own protocol, which is different from other public establishments.

    Col. Ali told the committee that the NCS would not want to be dictated to on matters of etiquette and protocol.

    He said: “We have our own protocol as regards receiving visitors like you. I don’t need to come downstairs to receive you just as nobody in the Senate or House of Representatives has ever come out to receive us anytime we visit the National Assembly.

    “So, there is no breach of protocol for not coming down to welcome you since appropriate officers have been assigned to do so. Our protocol is our protocol and should be allowed to be.

    “In fact, by way of etiquette, it is the committee that is supposed to come to my office first on arrival and not just come straight to the conference room.

    “Let me state clearly that we in the Nigeria Customs Service are servants of the people. We believe in Nigeria and working with others to make it great without being railroaded in anyway.

    “Personally, I took this job because of my commitment to serve this country selflessly, having earlier done so in the military.  So, nobody can tell me that I’m not a committed Nigerian.

    “On your assignment you called economic waste, we shall cooperate with you to unearth whatever you want to unearth and effect any correction if there is any.”

    The Senate committee, which appeared not to be satisfied with Col. Ali’s reply, boycotted a group photograph organised by the Customs.

    As the visitors got set to leave the premises, they found that the Customs boss’ convoy was obstructing them –  an action which they thought was deliberate. There was no official comment on this last night.

    While the Customs boss left the headquarters at about 2:15pm with his siren blaring convoy, the senators team left around 2:20pm after staying in their bus for about 15 minutes.

    Besides, Melaye, other senators in the delegation are: Samuel Anyanwu (Imo East), Gilbert Nnaji ( Enugu East), Hamman Isah Misau ( Bauchi Central) and Babajide Omoworare ( Osun East).

     

     

  • 99 percent importers evade duty, says Customs boss

    99 percent importers evade duty, says Customs boss

    The Comptroller-General, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Col. Hameed Ali (Rtd) Thursday said that 99 per cent of the nation’s importers are non-compliant with the customs duty and charges.

    According to him, the importers are unpatriotic to Nigeria even when they pay duty to other countries they deny theirs its dues.

    Ali, who was speaking as the Chief Host at the public presentation of the book “Appraisal of Crime of Smuggling in Nigeria,” in Abuja, pointed out that the belief of a typical Nigerian, is that he does not owe his country any obligation.

    Narrating his encounter with an importer, who settled all the charges for two cars  in Benin Republic and Niger Republic and evaded Nigeria’s, he said that  “somebody picked up two cars from Benin Republic, when he landed in Benin he paid every charges, he move them to Niger, and paid every charges he is supposed to pay.

    “But those cars are destined for Nigeria. When he now comes to Nigeria, he decided to take an un-costumed route and brought those cars to Nigeria. And when we did apprehend those vehicles the question I asked him is why are you so unpatriotic?

    “You could pay to Benin Republic, you could pay to Niger, and then coming to your own home, you don’t want to pay. He said the duty is too high.

    “And I said then why did you buy the two cars in the first place?  This is the mentality of the Nigerian; he does not believe that he owes anything to his own country.”

    The country, he said, cannot make progress in a situation, where people are not complying with the law and unfortunately, all that Nigerians think is how to circumvent the law.

    He commended the author of the book, Musa Omale for not allowing his knowledge, experience and writing skills to die.

    The customs boss noted that the book has made the job of the NCS easier and enjoined all the stakeholders to buy and read it.

    He assured the author that the Nigeria Customs Service will deploy copies of the books to its libraries and commands.

    Speaking with journalists, immediate past president of Association of Nigerian License Customs Agents, Chief Ernest Elochukwu noted that book is an exposure of the dimension of smuggling and the laws that are in place to tackle it.

    He said that the fight against smuggling can also be viewed from other angles like the creation of an enabling environment that does not promote smuggling.

    This, he said, government can achieve that by making sensible policies in terms of what it bans and does not ban.

    He submitted that “when there is so much of ban in the list of items that could be imported into the country, especially if they are essential items, the issue of smuggling becomes inevitable.”

    Meanwhile, the author said that what motivated him is that he has been in the Customs for past 26 years and as an experience officer about the level of damage of smuggling to the economy and decided to turn his research for PhD on smuggling into a book.

  • Senate on vengeance mission against Customs boss, says Falana

    Senate on vengeance mission against Customs boss, says Falana

    Lagos lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) has accused the Senate of being on a vengeance mission against Comptroller General of Customs Hameed Ali.

    Senate President Bukola Saraki was said to have imported a bullet-proof Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) which was impounded by the Customs.

    This is believed to be the hidden reason behind the summoning of the Customs CG.

    But clearing the air on Tuesday, Senate President’s spokesman Yusuph Olaniyonu, said: A supplier was engaged by the Senate to supply a vehicle while tranfering the vehicle between Lagos and Abuja, it was impounded by the Customs. We believe that it is an issue between the supplier and the Customs because the Senate had not taken delivery.”

    Yesterday, Falana said: “The statement credited to the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki is not a denial of  the criminal allegation but an attempt to pull wool over the eyes of Nigerians.

    “Even If we accept the explanation it means that the Senate leadership bought a vehicle that was imported to the country with forged documents.

    “That has confirmed that the planned humiliation of the customs boss was  borne out of vengeance. So it is no longer a case of individual liability but that of institutional criminal negligence.

    “These guys have to invent more lies because the limousine was not budgeted for by the National Assembly.

    “Or is it another case of padding of the budget? Why is the leadership always associated with forgery and fraud? Did the senate leader not distance himself from the controversial vehicle? So why did the leader of the senate allow the matter to be investigated  by the ethics committee of the upper chamber if he was planning to wash off his hands like Pontius Pilate?

    “ Since there are many unanswered questions, the  Nigeria Customs Service should go ahead and get to the root of the criminality with a view to prosecuting the culprits.”

  • Customs boss Ali dares Senate

    Customs boss Ali dares Senate

    •Says I’m not employed to wear uniform
    •’I’m yet to receive senators’ invitation’

    The Senate yesterday got a response from the Comptroller General of Customs, retired Col. Hameed Ali, on its summons to him to appear before it on March 15 and to come in uniform.

    Ali,a former military governor of Kaduna State, agreed to appear before the Senate, but not in uniform.

    He declared that he is  not employed to wear uniform.

    He told TVC that rather he was appointed to work effectively.

    He was summoned by the fuming senators over the new order by the Customs Service for all old vehicles to pay their customs duty.

    Customs offered a 60 per cent rebate for vehicles from 2015 below.

    But speaking in an interview on TVC, Ali said: “Let me say I will appear before the Senate. With regard to uniform, certainly no.

    “Why is it so? I was not appointed to wear uniform. I am sorry to say, I don’t know why Senate is talking about uniform.”

    The Senate, in a motion raised by Senator Dino Melaye on Thursday, summoned him to appear before it in uniform to explain why Customs has not suspended its Customs policy on vehicle duty despite the directive of the lawmakers.

    But, according to him, what should be a concern to the National Assembly in its oversight function, is whether he is performing his duty, and “not whether I am in uniform or not.”

    He, however, noted that at the time of the interview, he was yet to receive any letter of invitation from the Senate.

    He  stressed that he would honour the lawmakers’ invitation, should they follow due process to summon him, but certainly not through the media.

    His words: “There is a procedure for inviting members of the executive to appear to the  Senate. If that procedure is followed, we will abide by that procedure.  No member of the executive is invited on media network ,either on the television or the radio. If they follow that procedure, we will appear before them.

    “Up to this moment, I have not seen any correspondence from the Senate in my office.”

    He defended his appointment as Comptroller General from outside the Customs saying: “In that same law, it says that there shall be deputy comptroller-generals appointed by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria from among the Nigeria Customs Service.

    “So that gives you a very clear cut that today or any  day, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria can decide to appoint a Comptroller-General  outside the Nigeria Customs Service, but it cannot appoint Deputy Comptroller Generals outside the Nigeria Customs Service.”

    He posited that the law empowers President Muhammadu Buhari to appoint the Comptroller-General from outside the organization.

    He claimed that some motorists  use  only one number plate to drive up to 20 vehicles.

    Explaining the genesis of the vehicle duty policy, he said that upon the ban of importation of vehicles through land boarders, the Association of Motor Dealers of Nigeria (AMDON) confessed that they had cars that were smuggled into Nigeria.

    The dealers, according to him, sought for assistance which led to the issue of creating a vehicle seats for their regularization.

    Ali said: “We said that all the vehicles that were smuggled, you will bring them to a vehicle seat and regularize them. We said we would help, but you must pay the duty.”

  • Ribadu, Customs boss tipped to replace Magu

    Ribadu, Customs boss tipped to replace Magu

    AS the plot thickens to stop the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr Ibrahim Magu, from becoming the substantive chair of the Commission, three names have popped up as his possible replacements. They are a former boss of the anti-graft agency, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu; the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Col. Hamid Ali (rtd) and a retired Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Amodu Ali, who is famous for investigating the $180million Halliburton bribery scandal.

    Investigation by our correspondent revealed that the decision to prop up their names was part of the grand plot by the powerful forces opposed to Magu to stop his re-nomination by President Muhammadu Buhari. More names might also be propped up in the next few days. But the Transparency International- Nigeria and some civil society groups yesterday protested non-confirmation of Magu by the Senate.

    The TI and others described the security report upon which the Senate based its decision as “curious.” A top source said: “These forces do not want Magu re-nominated by the President when the Senate returns from Christmas break. “This is why they have recommended some people (at least three for now) who have impeccable integrity like Magu as the next substantive chairman of EFCC.

    “These are the Comptroller- General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Col. Hamid Ali (rtd), a former Chairman of EFCC, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, and a retired Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Amodu Ali who investigated the $180million Halliburton bribery scandal. “But President Buhari is just listening to arguments for and against Magu. The ball is in the court of the President.” There were however fears last night that these forces might go to court if Buhari re-nominates Magu.

    They are trying to hang on to the report of the Department of State Security Service (DSS) to seek some ambiguous reliefs in court.” It was also learnt that pro- Magu sympathisers are also pressing buttons to have the ears of the President to stick to the Acting EFCC chairman. Another source added: “Representations have been made in the last 24 hours to those close to the President to insist on Magu. “Those sympathetic to Magu actually approached an influential governor to intercede and let the President get a second opinion on the DSS report.

    “This situation is dicey as I talk to you because both sides are embroiled in intense politics of survival. “Those against Magu were busy yesterday celebrating that they have boxed the Acting EFCC chairman to a corner.” Apart from Transparency International, other civil society groups who protested against non-confirmation of Magu by the Senate yesterday include Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) and Zero-corruption Coalition (ZCC) They made their position known in a statement by the Executive Director of CISLAC, Auwal Ibrahim Musa (Rafsanjani).

    The statement said: “The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Transparency International-Nigeria (TI) and Zero-corruption Coalition (ZCC) express concern at the circumstances surrounding the nonconfirmation by the Nigerian Senate of Ibrahim Magu as the Chairman of Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), upon his appointment by the President.

    “We find it worrisome that the confirmation of the head of such a strategic anti-corruption agency is taking such a long time, having been first appointed in November 2015, and worse still at a time when the nation is reinvigorating the fight against corruption. “CISLAC, TI- Nigeria and ZCC wonder if there is more to the unfolding events than meets the eye. “We are further alarmed at the circumstances preceding the last session in which the Upper Chamber failed to confirm the appointee.

    “The fact that the session was preceded by a rowdy sitting and the Senators resorted to a closeddoor session further highlights the lack of transparency in the confirmation process. “We find the Senate’s reliance on a security report from the Department of State Services (DSS) as a reason for the rejection of the President’s appointee very curious.

    “While we acknowledge that the Senators have the power of confirmation as well as the right of recourse to relevant institutions for vetting, this must be applied strictly for public good and in very transparent and accountable manner. “CISLAC, TI and ZCC therefore call on the Senate to make public the security report it depended upon to reject the confirmation. “Merely reading it out in a closed session and applying it to arrive at such far reaching decisions fall short of the expectations of the electorate that they represent in the exercise of their powers.

    “We call on the DSS to publicly confirm that they are the source of the report in question and authenticate the content for the Nigerian Public to know. “Considering that the DSS is also an agency in the executive arm, it should indicate if the report was also shared with the President who appoints the EFCC chairman. This is to ensure that it is discharging its functions as expected by law and procedure.

    “We call on the Presidency to publicly state its position on the unfolding issues so that Nigerians can have a clear picture and draw their own conclusions as public support is crucial to a successful fight against corruption. “The position of the EFCC chair is a very sensitive one and its occupant must be held to the highest levels of integrity and credibility.

    “A situation where individuals and groups hide under clandestine and unverified documents and reports to take decisions that could undermine the integrity of individuals and institutions at the forefront of the anti-corruption efforts will be a disservice to the nation and must not be allowed to stand.

    “We notify the Senate that their inability to come clean on these would only fuel the perception that their failure to confirm the appointment of the EFCC chairman who has acted for one year is linked to their personal and selfish desire to protect themselves and scuttle the fight against corruption of which several of their members have been beneficiaries. “We urge all well-meaning Nigerians and the media to kick against all manners of unjust decision or resolution by the Nigerian Senate to sabotage the on-going anti-corruption fight in the country.”

  • Why Nigeria’s borders are porous, by Customs boss

    Why Nigeria’s borders are porous, by Customs boss

    Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Col Hameed Ali (retd) yesterday said the nation’s boarders were porous because of their interconnectivity with adjoining nations.
    He added that there was no line demarcating Nigeria from its neighbours.
    According to him, those living within the nation’s border speak the same language as Nigerians.
    This situation, said the Customs boss, made it difficult to claim that a particular border was well secured in Nigeria.
    Ali, who spoke with reporters in Abuja, after the opening of the first meeting of the technical committee on security project, said the situation constituted some challenges that the project will address.
    His words: “As regards to porous borders, they are across the nation. Everywhere is porous and you can’t say this is a border that is well secured. Ours is porous because we have borders that are virtually interconnected.
    “Our brothers and kinsmen live across the borders. If you take Benin Republic for instance, some of us speak the same language, we live within the same border.
    “These are parts of the problems and for us this is a security problem. We must address this. We must be able to find a solution to it and that is the idea behind this project.”
    On the project, the CG noted that the meeting will develop a framework for the director-generals to consider.
    He said experts were expected to develop a roadmap and a concept on security.
    A representative of the Global Initiative against Transnational Organised Crime, Mark Shaw, said the meeting was important because of changes in the global environment.
    He said the meeting was necessary to address challenges facing the globe.

  • Reps prepare for showdown with Customs boss

    Reps prepare for showdown with Customs boss

    •Panel alleges: Alli ignores invitation on ‘multi-billion insurance fraud’

    The House of Representatives is set for a showdown with the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) Comptroller General (CG) Col.  Hameed Ali  (rtd) for daring to ignore its invitation to a  panel investigating a multi-billion insurance fraud in Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

    It expressed disappointment over the failure of many MDAs to also honour the invitation of its ad hoc committee investigating insurance transactions between 2013 and 2015.

    The lawmakers were particularly irked over the weekend when Ali refused to officially inform the Adekunle Akinlade-led ad hoc Committee on Insurance about his absence at the hearing.

    Ali failed to present the panel with requested full information on NCS’s insurance transactions within the period under review.

    He, however, sent a Deputy Comptroller General (DCG), Human Resources, Warikoru Austin, who came unprepared and  empty-handed without the necessary information requested for by the panel.

    Warikoru, who affirmed rather than swear to an oath with a scripture, further compounded matters when he claimed that, even as head of human resources, he was not aware, neither was it brought to his notice by his subordinates an advertorial by the panel in a national daily containing list of invited  organisations and information required of them.

    Stating that such act of irresponsibility by government officials was regrettable, Akinlade added that letters and physical representation with proofs were made to the headquarters of NCS, yet the Service found it unnecessary to honour the committee’s requests.

    The committee, in response to the DCG, found such claim absurd and made it clear that lying under oath, if found culpable, carries two years imprisonment.

    The committee chairman said legislative committees do not entertain verbal messages in respect of invitations.

    He said: “To entertain verbal messages that the CG has other matters on his desk to attend to is sending wrong signals to Nigerians.

    “We have the mandate of the House to carry out this assignment and we wrote to NCS to that effect. It was advertised in a national newspaper and we sent someone physically.

    “This is unacceptable. The CG must come and make himself available by November 14, else we will use other constitutional means available.

    “We need him to come and clarify issues, for instance, it was discovered that Fortis Insurance brokers underwrote part of cover for NCS, amounting to N105 million. But Fortis management denied it.

    “Meanwhile, we have documents where the money was paid. So, it is important that the head of Customs appears before the committee.”

    Before he was dismissed, Warikoru said though he was aware of the panel’s letter but not the advertorial.

    He said his organisation was still in the process of collating the information requested by the ad hoc committee.

    The committee that also expressed disappointment about the inability of the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) to submit a well-documented presentation on its insurance transactions, noted that it would not wait indefinitely for recalcitrant MDAs to make their submissions.

    The two organisations were asked to appear by November 14 or face further legislative action.