The Deputy Chairman of the Senate Committee on Customs and Excise, Senator Francis Fadahunsi has rubbished rumours making the rounds that he was up in arms against the Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali (rtd).
Debunking the notion, the Senator said he had nothing personal against the Customs boss, but the man should leave for the Service to progress.
Fadahunsi, a Peoples Democratic Party Senator representing Osun East in the National Assembly, had, in his new year message, urged President Muhammadu Buhar,i to relieve the Customs CG and Service Chiefs of their positions post in order to inject a new lease of life into the Services by giving new hands a chance to try new ideas. This, he said, was the best way to move the Services, and by implication, Nigeria, forward.
The senator, who is a retired Assistant Comptroller General of Customs, had, last Friday, opined that there was a need to have a thorough bred professional to take over the leadership of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) because the current CG had limited knowledge in trade facilitation, a core duty of the service.
Sam Segun-Progress, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to Senator Fadahunsi, said in a statement that: “The distinguished Senator will want to put it on record that he has no personal grouse with the Comptroller General, a fact he (Fadahunsi) demonstrated during the budget defence when he offered Colonel Hameed Ali valuable advice that can assist the service.”
Fadahunsi, who maintained that his love for the nation and the Nigerian Customs Service motivates him at all times, emphasised that, “My call for a new Comptroller General of Customs is because I know that, as a retired Customs officer, that there is no way a soldier can understand the workings of Customs like a trained Customs officer.
“Or is it possible for a Customs officer to be made the Chief of Army Staff and he performs better than an officer who rose through the ranks?”
Fadahunsi, also the Deputy Chairman of the Senate Committee on Trade and Investment, reiterated his claim that the revenue collection in 2014 was higher in value than collections made in the last four years. He restated his call on President Buhari to allow people with cognate experience and requisite expertise to run the Service.
Still, the Senator will not quit. He wondered where the imported rice that flooded the country last December came from, adding that the land borders account for minimal trade while the waterways remain the clear leader in the labyrinth of the major smuggling routes around the country.
The Senator said the CG did not understand this hence the euphoria over the closure of Nigeria’s land borders by the Federal Government.
“What happens on the sea,” Fadahunsi continued, “from Badagry to Alaba, from Onne and Port Harcourt, from the waterways in Ikorodu to Osborne? A lot of activities are ongoing on the waterways. What about Cameroon’s waterways and what is coming in from Baba Mutum or Port Harcourt?
“These routes still account for the largest chunk of smuggling in the country, and they are known to the officers and men of the Nigerian Customs Service. But can their judgment be applauded and accepted?”
Fadahunsi repeated his advice to President Buhari to use his good office to search for, and appoint a thorough bred Customs officer who can motivate the officers and men of the service to put in their optimum best for better result.
This will, he posited, would encourage officers who are demoralised by the current arrangement in the Service which seems to suggest that they may never be able to attain the highest height in their career because anybody could become the Comptroller General even without any requisite knowledge of the workings of the service.
The lawmaker also slammed the recruitment process that has taken almost a year despite the huge amount of money to be paid to a consultant
“Why hire a consultant to recruit officers and men?” Senator Fadahunsi queried. “Have you ever seen the Nigeria Army contract out its recruitment? This is why I’m appealing to Mr.President to have mercy on the Service and do the needful in the interest of the nation. This country is losing a lot by virtue of the limited knowledge of the CG.”
