Ex-Customs ACG Condemns Ali on Premature Retirement of Senior Officers

                                                  
The retirement of 34 senior officers of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has been condemned as not the best form of reform in the Service.
A former Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs who spoke on condition of anonymity said throwing people out of job in the name of reform or reorganisation has become outdated and was only practised in Nigeria.
Condemning last week’s retirement of 34 senior customs officers, he said the Comptroller-General of Customs, Col Hameed Ali (rtd) has not adopted the most modern approach to reform by retiring 34 officers whose time of leaving the Service may still be years ahead.
He said a senior officer should only be retired prematurely as a result of indictment for any wrong doing.
He called on President Muhammadu Buhari not to encourage such premature retirement of innocent officers in any Department, adding that it was not the best for the national economy.
He called on Ali to study how organisational reforms are carried out in other advanced countries as a guide in his assignment,
Besides, he said, Ali has contradicted himself with the forced retirement of the affected officers since he had during a press conference in Lagos said that reform does not mean sacking innocent officers.
He said if the offices did any wrong which was the reason for their retirement, the Customs boss should come out and tell the nation.
Among those affected in the exercise were five Deputy Comptrollers-General of Customs (DCGs) who had earlier given notification to the Comptroller-General for voluntary disengagement.
Indications were that they were forced to resign their appointment.
They include John Atte MFR, Ibrahim Mera OON, Musa Tahir mni, Austin Nwosu and Akinade Adewuyi.
In a statement issued by the Public Relations Officer of the Service, Wale Adeniyi, three others of the rank of Assistant Comptroller-General were also affected in the reorganisation 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 were of the rank of Comptrollers serving in Customs Headquarters, Zonal Offices and various Area Commands.
The Comptroller-General of Customs claimed that the retirements were part of measures to kick-start the repositioning of the Service for improved performance.