He said although the move was initially criticised, Nigerians eventually appreciated it.

Buhari spoke on Tuesday while inaugurating the new customs headquarters that reportedly cost N19.6 billion to construct.

The edifice is located in the Maitama district of the federal capital territory (FCT).

“Please note that from Lake Chad to Benin Republic is more than 1,600 kilometres, only God can effectively guard the borders. So you need a person who has the energy and the competence to supervise. I deliberately closed the borders because knowing Nigerians, they order rice, give some to Niger and the rest, and then they bring the rice here,” he said.

“With our potential, we have people, we have land, and weather – how many nations are as lucky as Nigeria in the world, very few nations.

“So closing that border, 1,600 kilometres, Nigerians insist they eat boiled rice – you eat what you grow or you die. I tried to make my point and later Nigerians appreciated it.”

Buhari said he nominated Hameed Ali as comptroller-general of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) because of his experience and competence.

The president said the late Sani Abacha, a former military head of state, gave Ali “problematic” tasks to accomplish.

“As for Hameed Ali, I asked him to be in charge of customs. No matter what people say about the late Sani Abacha, may his soul rest in peace,” he said.

“I knew him very well, when somehow he became president of this country, head of state, the biggest problematic area was around Kaduna. He picked Colonel Hameed Ali and dumped the problems on him. My decision for Hameed Ali to come to customs was a deliberate one.

“[I brought] Colonel Hameed Ali to ensure that I have peace of mind.”

On his part, Ali said the increase in the salaries of customs personnel has made them less susceptible to corruption.

“We must mention the game-changing intervention of Mr President to rid the NCS of corruption and put it on a path of integrity,” the comptroller-general said.

“The 100 percent increase in the remuneration for officers and men of the service decisively made them less susceptible to corruption.”

The post I deliberately closed land borders, Nigerians later appreciated it – Buhari appeared first on New Mail Nigeria.

Nigerian Customs officials were said to have been overtly involved in illegal seizure of cars, shoes and textile materials in markets and routes leading to Kano State.

Though the NCS Controller General, Col. Hameed Ali (rtd) has been asked to direct his officers to stop illegal seizures of goods, the House has mandated its Committee on Customs and Excise to undertake a comprehensive investigation of the allegations and report back within four weeks.

The resolution of the House followed the adoption of a motion by Aliyu Madaki (APC, Kano), who noted that the issue should not be discountenanced with Kano being a major commercial center.

He said people from every part of Nigeria and neighbouring countries travel daily to Kano markets to purchase goods and textile materials on wholesale and retail basis.

He said: “Personnel of the Nigerian Customs recently embarked on illegal seizure of cars even in car stands in the name of customs duties.

“Personnel of the customs service seized in quantum shoes that were bought from Aba markets and on their way to Kano markets and same thing when they are going to Aba.

“The illegal activities of the customs is not only carried out in Kano state but extended to all the routes leading to Kano state”.

The motion was therefore unanimously adopted by the House after it was put to a voice vote by Speaker Yakubu Dogara.

The post Reps condemn NCS for illegal seizure of goods in Kano, call for investigation. appeared first on New Mail Nigeria.

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

The drama Monday 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).

The post Senators, Customs boss in war of words over protocol appeared first on New Mail Nigeria.

The re-organizationm according to a statement by Wale Adeniyi, Public Relations Officer of the Service, is one of the core mandates of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali (Rtd).

Those affected in the exercise are five Deputy Comptrollers-General of Customs (DCGs) who have earlier given notification to the Comptroller-General for voluntary disengagement. They are John Atte MFR, Ibrahim Mera OON, Musa Tahir mni, Austin Nwosu and Akinade Adewuyi.

Three others, of the rank of Assistant Comptroller-General are also affected in the re-organization exercise. They are Madu Mohammed mni, Secretary to the Nigeria Customs Board, Victor Gbemudu, Zonal Coordinator Zone ‘A’ and Bello Liman, Assistant Comptroller-General, (Headquarters). The rest are of the rank of Comptrollers serving in Customs Headquarters, Zonal Offices and various Area Commands.

The Comptroller-General of Customs stated that the retirements were part of measures to kick-start the repositioning of the Service for improved performance.

Recalled that NewMail Nigeria Online had exclusively reported on Thursday that five Deputy Comptrollers-General of Customs turned in their resignation letters, all signing out in a one page letter.

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