Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) is plagued by leadership gaps sparked by inadequate recruitment and poor management succession planning after about 13 years of non-recruitment.
While these problems were heightened under the reign of Col. Hammed Ali (Rtd) as Comptroller-General of Customs, the effects still leave some gaps in the NCS and necessitates proper leadership and recruitment planning for short, medium and long term.
The Principal Consultant, International Trade Advisory Services Ltd/Publisher, Business and Maritime West Africa, Mr. Okey Ibeke, stated this while speaking with News Diet in Lagos, on Monday.
According to Ibeke, Hammed Ali’s 8-year tenure as Customs boss worsened the managerial gaps in the Service as the non recruitment process elongated to 13 years with allegations of corruption characterising Ali’s Customs recruitment process that lingered from 2019 to 2021.
His words: “President Tinubu inherited a totally dysfunctional Nigeria Customs Service that was for eight years headed by a retired army colonel, Hameed Ali. Ali was drafted out of retirement by former President Muhammadu Buhari, after more than 16 years in retirement, to head a highly technical organization like Customs.
“The eight years the retired army colonel held sway in Customs took heavy toll on the technical skills, managerial and operational capabilities of the Customs. The Service became militarized as a serving army officer, one Colonel Buhari, brought to the Service as Principal Staff Officer by Ali, took over headship and control of key operations.
“When President Bola Ahmed Tinubu came on board, the Nigeria Customs Service was in dire need of a competent leader, a true professional to effectively drive and lead changes that would make immediate impact on the execution of the President’s economic policies. Tinubu found such a personality in Bashiru Wale Adeniyi MFR.”
Noting that the role of Nigeria Customs Service has expanded from its core statutory mandate in keeping with the evolving national economic demands, changing fiscal policies and developments in global trade, Ibeke emphasised the need for instituting the right management team and a leadership style that enables NCS meet its obligations.
“It is manifestly clear that realization of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s reform policies, largely depends, apart from other organizations, on a knowledgeable, skilled, resourceful, innovative and effective Customs Service. The present customs administration led by Adewale Adeniyi, it must be observed, embodies these qualities,” Ibeke remarked.
The veteran journalist listed some of the commendable accomplishments of Adeniyi’s Customs to include; the inauguration of a Steering Committee on the implementation of the Authorized Economic Operators for Compliant Traders; quality interactions with the international community – WCO, JICA, Japan Customs among others; implementation of the Customs Laboratory, adoption of geospatial; conduct of a Time Release Study; among others.
He equally expressed delight that the constitution of the Customs management team under Adeniyi, stating that it has seen appointments strictly based on merit and upholding the principle of equitable geopolitical representation.
“There has been a strategic deployment of Customs Area Controllers and other strategic units, also rooted in merit and in adherence to the principle of equity.
“Adeniyi has equally prioritised engagements with the Customs Administration of the Republic of Benin to address the existing gaps that sustains the activities of smugglers and revenue leakage. The initiation of the development of a Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy for the NCS is also laudable and in sync with the goal of contributing to the government’s development agenda,” Ibeke stated.
He, however, warned that the impressive achievements by the NCS under the present Customs management may not be sustained, unless a strong decision is taken to avert the impending knowledge and skill gaps facing the Service.
“At the moment, there are no less than 791 senior officers of the Service, including three Deputy Comptrollers General (DCGs), seven Assistant Comptrollers General (ACGs), and 45 full Comptrollers of Customs that are to be statutorily discharged between January and September next year,” Ibeke lamented.
While asserting that accelerated promotion does not translate to accelerated knowledge and experience, he added that if the present crop of top officers leave, there will certainly be yawning skill, managerial, knowledge and leadership gaps that will impact negatively on the Service and its performance in the implementation of most government’s fiscal policies.
