Stakeholders appraise Dikko

Urge Probe Of FOB Disbursement, Kick
Against Hameed Ali’s Appointment
ALHAJI Abdullahi Inde Dikko is a lucky man
from all indications. From 2009, when he
mounted the saddle as the Comptroller General
of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), to the point of
his voluntary retirement, he had a smooth sail,
although the beginning was bumpy.
During his early days, he was confronted with a
court action that tended to doubt his integrity
so as to raise the dust over his appointment as
the nation’s number one custom officer. He
survived the ‘coup’ attempt. Again at the point
of his retirement recently, petitions were
everywhere accusing him of offences waiting to
be substantiated.
His six-year tenure saw the service through
unexpected level of advancement in many areas
of customs operations, because of his six-point
Agenda, which he executed to the admiration of
global organisations and the general public.
Dikko came into office with an agenda to
reposition the service through dogged
implementation of capacity building,
maximisation of e-customs, moral rebirth for
integrity, enhanced welfare for officers and men
and collaboration with stakeholders for mutual
understanding.
Before his appointment, the NCS’s reputation
was marred by scandals relating to corruption
and fraud. This made it to attract low rating
from Transparency International, which survey
in 2010 indicated that more than half of the
people who responded to its survey activities
attested to have paid bribes to NCS officers at
the ports.
The complexities in customs regulations and
bureaucracy regarding import and export were
perceived to be deliberate, to provide natural
environment for bribery and corruption to
thrive. Companies and individuals took
advantage to undervalue and under declare
their goods. Yet, many others operating in the
informal sector resorted to smuggling to avoid
legal trade. Bribe taking was the order of the
day and genuine importers incurred huge cost
through demurrage payment and sometimes,
outright loss of their wares, all of which did
incalculable damages to the nation’s image and
economy.
Although public perception of the NCS has not
changed, Dikko managed to clean up the image
of the service. He was appointed at the time
former President Jonathan started his
Transformation Agenda and he was given a tall
order to ensure all officers and men of the
service are carried along.
He brought the national transformation agenda
into the NCS, with a reform programme aimed
at making it more efficient and modern customs
like those in developed countries in areas of
service delivery, efficiency and revenue
generation.
His reforms improved the positive reputation of
the Customs. To achieve his transformation
agenda for the service, he thought it expedient
to get the maximum cooperation of all officers
and men by improving their welfare package
and building their capacity through training and
retraining of officers.
His crowning welfare achievement is the
construction and commissioning of customs
barrack in Abuja. He ensured enhanced welfare
package for the workers through increased
emolument, due promotion, adequate housing
and availability of operational equipment. He
also embarked on training and retraining of
officers and men for them to be steadfast and
committed in the fight against corruption, no
matter how challenging it may appear to be.
The operations of the Customs service have
become automated, and this has, improved the
efficiency of service delivery. The automation of
operations, which Dikko introduced, in line with
international best practice, is a testimony of an
improved customs service.
Operating in accordance with good governance,
the NCS has made great progress in revenue
collection, economic competitiveness, supply-
chain security, enforcement, capacity building
and research.
Following years of global economic down turn,
the Nigeria Customs Service under the Dikko,
keyed into the global Customs body ‘Revenue
Package’ (RP), which was developed to meet
members’ needs and provide technical
assistance.
The RP, which was launched in 2009, was a
response to declining revenue collection and
trade over coming obstacles that accompanied
the down turn.
RP is a comprehensive collection of instruments
and tools, which provided administrative and
strategic guidance in respect of effective, fair
and efficient revenue collection. It also helped
to raise importer awareness and compliance
with Customs regulations.
The Nigerian Customs of today is not only
innovative, but pro-active, transformative and
futuristic, in tandem with the transformation
agenda of the government and that of the global
body the World Customs Organisation (WCO).
The futuristic approach of the Service under the
retired Comptroller General became apparent
when it took over the destination inspection
from private service providers, the Cotecna
inspection Ltd, Global Scan Services and few
others, and replaced with the Risk Assessment
Component of inspection with Pre-Arrival,
Assessment Report (RAAR).
Although, the service admitted at the onset that
it had challenges in the bid to take over the
inspection from contracted Scanning Services
Providers (SSPS) as directed by government, the
Service coped with the challenges over time.
The new regime of destination inspection by the
NCS promised better management of revenue
generation, enhanced trade facilitation and
better collaboration with other agencies of
government to enhance national security.
One area many may not easily forget the
achievement of is regarding that of revenue
earning for the country, especially at the time of
dwindling income from the oil and gas sector.
Dikko raised the bar in revenue collection from
mere N30 billion to over N1.2 trillion yearly, as
at the 2014 revenue collection figures.
Although revenue collection is not the primary
function of the Service created by many
countries to facilitate trade, Dikko said last year
that ‘‘2014 is a year we have to prove to the
Federal Government that we have come of age
and that we have built technological
competitors that will stand the best of time.”
Stakeholders, who spoke with The Guardian on
the six-year tenure of Dikko said he did well,
especially in areas of welfare for officers and
men and revenue generation for the country.
The National Secretary of the Association of
National Licensed Customs Agents (ANALCA),
Mr. Kayode Collins said Dikko tried his best in
terms of performance, adding that he surpassed
the record of all his predecessors.
‘‘On behalf of ANALCA, I give Dikko between 65
and 75 per cent mark in terms of performance.
He was able to raise revenue generation from
the mere N30 billion monthly to N100 billion.
He digitalised the service with Automated
System of Customs Data (ASYCUDA) to save for
Nigeria N100 billion monthly. When we were in
pre-shipment era, we were paying N100 billion
annually on one per cent Free On Board to
foreigners, but now that money is being plough
back to government coffers. The profiling of
agent to make for integrity of the system is
another area, which Dikko bought into our
hearts. Before now, the level of compliance was
poor, now it is up to 90 per cent. What of moral
boosting among officers and men of the
service? He increased their salaries by 100 per
cent, provided them housing with the proceed
of seven per cent of revenue he retained with
the permission of the government.”
The founder of the National Association of
Government Approved Freight Forwarders
(NAGAFF), Dr. Boniface Aniebunam said Dikko
did extremely well.
‘‘His customs reform programme was
wonderful. He left a very big shoe behind. He
made a very big mark in terms of revenue
collection for the government, embarked on
anti-smuggling campaign, which was successful,
he embarked successfully also on capacity
building within the service through training and
retraining of officers and men, his welfare
programme for officers and men was
wonderful. This can be seen from all the things
he did for his people, including the building of
staff quarters and a hospital that is like a
teaching hospital.”
Continuing, he said, ‘‘Dikko introduced Pre-
Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR) to save
money for the government as several billions of
naira formally paid to agents involved in
destination inspection is now saved for the
government.”
But the National President of the Council for the
Managing Director of Customs licensed Agents,
Mr. Lucky Amiwero, was silent on the
achievements of the retired comptroller
General, but urged government to investigate
the disbursement of the one per cent FOB which
many claimed was saved for the government by
the Customs Service.
According to him, the Nigeria Customs Service
continued to pay its consultants, when
Destination Inspection had since collapsed at the
gateways.
He said all scanners inherited by the Service had
developed mechanical fault, forcing goods to be
examined physically, hence the need not to pay
destination agents anymore.
Dikko said he retired voluntarily to pave the
way for his junior colleagues.
‘‘The only way the Nigeria Customs Service can
move forward, I feel personally, is my making a
sacrifice. This sacrifice is to give chance to
others so that they can come up, and continue
with the legacies and the reform I have put in
place.”
But that sacrifice did not achieve what it was
meant for, as the Federal Government has since
appointed retired Colonel Hameed Ali to head
NCS, instead of appointing one of Dikko’s
subordinates. Ali resumed last week for a few
minutes and he is yet to turn up in office again.
His appointment was criticized by stakeholders,
including Customs agents, and a legal luminary,
who have unambiguously voiced their
opposition to the appointment, as they said he
may not have the big leg to fill the shoes left by
Alhaji Dikko Inde Abdullahi.
Licensed Customs Agents under the aegis of
International Freight Forwarders Association of
Nigeria (IFFAN), who flagged off opposition
condemned Ali’s appointment, stressing that
Customs Service tasks, though paramilitary in
nature, was still of a technical and professional
nature that even a crack military officer may
not be able to perfectly perform.
The Director of Publicity, Mr. Ossy Ezeweiyinya
lamented that the appointment genuinely
portends great danger, not only for the revenue
collection drive of the customs service,but for
the consummation of the laudable on going
reforms and growth of the Service.
”It is a technical position. So we need a
professional to understand the position, we are
not saying that another person cannot run
customs, but the former CG has brought about
so much automation and electronic platforms,
and this new appointment will distort a lot of
things.
As opposition mounts against the appointment,
an Enugu based lawyer, Ifeanyichukwu
Okonkwo has reportedly filed a suit at the
Federal High Court Umuahia, Abia State,
challenging the constitutionality of the
appointment of Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (rtd)
as the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria
Customs Service by President Muhammadu
Buhari.
But the presidency has defended the
appointment, saying it was based on the need to
make the Service (NCS) optimise its potentials
as the nation’s cash cow.
Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the President
on Media and Publicity Mallam Garba Shehu said
the government believes that the Nigeria
Customs Service could still triple its revenue
target.