By Mcanthony Onuoha
Recent happenings at the headquarters of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) have not cast integrity questions on the leadership of the service. Although it was reported that the Service is carrying out a biometrics documentation of its officers, source has disclosed that an investigative exercise was directed by the Comptroller General, Col. Hameed Ali ( Rtd) to be carried out by the Human Resources Department of the Nigeria Customs Service.
Source has revealed that the exercise unearthed a high level of fraud ranging from wrong declaration of age to falsification of states of origin, perpetrated by some Senior Officers in the rank of Deputy Controller General (DCG), and some officers in the Mid – Junior Cadre.
Whether it is an investigative or biometric documentation exercise that was conducted by DCG Sanusi A.U.( DCG, Human Resources Department), the obvious concern is that, the exercise has exposed quite a number of schemers, who fraudulently paved their ways into the organization and have risen to their present ranks as Senior Officers unscuttled due to a seemingly care-free and fantastically corrupt system inherent in the organization.
The point of worries centers mostly on the level of marginalization against the South-Eastern Officers in the Nigeria Customs Service under Col. Hameed Ali’s administration, which is unprecedented in the history of the organization, and the recent revelation of fraud has opened a can of worms as it is now known that most of the Officers in the top hierarchy of the Nigeria Customs Service parading themselves as lgbos of South-East extraction are indeed schemers who falsified their data to shortchange the South-East ; the culpability of one of the DCGs from the South-South as exposed by the exercise has thrown more light on how the Igbos have been continually robbed of their qouta representation as provided in the national character arrangement. Though this is not only perpetrated in the Nigeria Customs alone, but also in ministries and agencies of the Federal Government.
Nevertheless, by this singular and deliberate act of falsification of age and state of origin, the so called DCG ( name withheld), has perpetrated a great criminality against South-East. It further implies that under Hameed Ali administration, the quota of the South-East geopolitical zone were not represented at the echelon of the Nigeria Customs Service management, while the South-South has two (2) Deputy Controller Generals (DCGs).
It is indeed disheartening, realizing that all along, a DCG ( Name withheld) of South-South extraction, fraudulently shortchanged the South-East of their rightful National quota placement and representation in the Nigeria Customs Service, and has all the while been shielded by a non transparent system that perhaps has a different definition for equity and fairness and grossly opposed to National Character Policy.
However, quite a good number of Low Ranked Officers are also being caught in the same web as many obviously enrolled into the Nigeria Customs with falsified information.
According to the source, the affected DCGs were advised to tender letters of apology over such heinous act against the Nigeria Customs which is quite unacceptable, considering the level of the criminality. The CGC should toe the part of integrity by going beyond the directive requesting the affected officers to tender official letters of apology, as a way of sanction, but wield the big stick, that would serve as a deterrent to dishonest officers.
Besides, much stronger punishment should be meted out to the erring Officers, especially to the very DCG who not only misled the service by swearing to an oath of service with falsified documents but has all these years, robbed the entire South-East of their right.
It therefore behooves on the CGC to rekindle the fire of equity and fairness in the Nigeria Customs Service that is presently under his watch. It will not be seen as callousness on the part of the CGC if he comes hard on an officer who willfully committed such level of criminality against the Service. The DCG in question and his cohorts should be prosecuted and retired without benefits. By this punitive measure, the Controller General of Customs would not only be seen to have sent a positive signal to intending and other undictated serving schemers and dishonest officers but also instilled a due sense of civil service integrity and core value consciousness.
That is not all, source also disclosed that two Female DCGs, a Female ACG, a male ACG and another male DCG caught by this exercise are all above 65 years of age. The male ACG according to the source is already 72 as revealed, but grossly falsified his age down to 63. The male DCG is already 68 but falsified his age downwards to 63 and his state of origin of Delta State to Abia State.
Besides, by the present move, it was by an inside source that one of the female DCGs is bent on exploring her contacts within and outside the Service so as to wriggle out herself from the web, due to vested ambition of emerging as the First Female CGC should Hameed Ali exit the headship of the Service.
However, as events unfold we shall capture in details and unveil the names of the affected officers in a subsequent report.
