Col. Hameed Ali (rtd) Comptroller General, Nigeria Customs Service.

Management of the Nigeria Customs Service has released a circular for the 2018 retirement list of its officers and men, totaling 577. The circular erroneously dated 27 January 2017 and titled CIRCULAR NO/HRD/2017/003-LIST OF OFFICERS/MEN FOR STATUTORY RETIREMENT IN YEAR 2018, and signed by Sulaiman, M.S.J, Comptroller Establishments on behalf of the Comptroller General, Col. Hameed Ali, (rtd), listed one Deputy Comptroller General and an Assistant Comptroller General, respectively, 11Comptrollers, 27 Deputy Comptrollers, 27 Assistant Comptrollers and 23 Chief Superintendents of Customs.

This is even as Ali has approved the promotion of 3 management chiefs made up of one Deputy Comptroller General and 2 Assistant Comptrollers General. This is in addition to the redeployment of 8 senior officers, all of which is further designed to strengthen the service capacity and consolidate on its bold gains in the year just ended.

NCS National Public Relations Officer, Deputy Comptroller Joseph Attah in a statement he signed on behalf of the CGC last week said the postings were in response to the spectacular performance of the service last years, and designed to further fortify its operational capacities for the New Year, noting that the postings’ takes immediate effect.

Amongst those promoted in acting capacity is the delectable Isa Talatu Mairo, erstwhile Assistant Comptroller General to the rank of Deputy Comptroller General. Ace field commander, undisputed anti-smuggling czar and until last week, the Controller, Federal Operations Unit Zone C, Comptroller Amajam Bukar was elevated to the rank of Assistant Comptroller General, while Comptroller David Elisha Chikan also bagged the Assistant Comptroller General rank. While Mairo becomes the DCG (Tariff and Trade), Bukar is ACG (Enforcement, Investigation and Inspection), and Chikan is ACG (Human Resources and Development).

Other rank and file listed on the retirement notice includes 5 CIC ‘T’, 21 CIC, 21 SC, 36 DCIC, 23 DCS, 121 ACIC, 4 ACIC1, 131 DIC and 1 ASC11. The others are 83 SIC, 2 CCA ‘T’, 18 IC, 6 CCA, 3 AIC, 2 SCA and 1 CA. The affected officers are disengaging either on the basis of mandatory 60 years of age or 35 years in service, in line with the civil service rules.

They are expected to furnish the headquarters with their notice of retirement on or before end of March this year, just as the Col. Ali led management insisted that all those due for retirement must proceed on the mandatory three months pre-retirement leave, starting March 2018.

Those redeployed includes DCG Chidi Augustine from Excise, Industrial, Incentives and Free Trade Zone to Strategic Research and Policy, DCG Iferi Patience (PhD) from Strategic Research and Policy to Excise, Industrial, Incentives and Free Trade Zone, ACG Sarki-Umar Folashade from Excise, Industrial, Incentives and Free Trade Zone to Strategic Research and Policy and ACG Enwereuzor Frances, from Strategic Research and Policy to Zone D headquarters. Others are the upbeat former Coordinator of the CGC’s Compliance Team, Comptroller Azarema Ahmed, who takes over at Federal Operations Unit Zone C, Comptroller Odibu Christopher former Customs Area Controller, Ikorodu Lighter Terminal Command, now in charge of the Oyo/Osun area Command, while Deputy Comptroller Adeniran J.O formerly of Enforcement, Investigation and Inspection at the Headquarters takes control at Ikorodu Lighter Terminal.

Attah in his statement said, “The CGC charged the affected officers to see their appointments and as opportunities to contribute their best towards consolidating the gains of the ongoing reforms in the Service”.

Our investigation revealed that some of the 577 officers listed in the retirement notice have already proceeded on their pre-retirement leaves.

The retirement circular reads in part, “I am directed to forward the attached list on the above subject as a Pre-Retirement notice to all affected officers, adding “all affected officers due for retirement in 2018 are to disengage from active service and proceed on three-months pre-retirement leave, three months to the effective date of retirement.

“All affected officers are to ensure compliance and forward their three months pre-retirement notice to the Comptroller General of Customs accordingly.

“Any observed error, omission or legitimate complaints should be forwarded to the office of the Comptroller General of Customs on or before 31st March, 2018.