ONE YEAR OF C-G-C HAMEED IBRAHIM ALI: THE GAINS OF THE CHANGE MANTRA IN THE NIGERIA CUSTOMS SERVICE (NCS)

It became, at a point, too obvious to all that change was urgently needed in the country. And this change, not for change’s sake. It was to be a Change that would sanitize every aspect of our national life and take our great country forward. Thus, it fell on the All Progressive Party (APC) to pull Nigeria out of the doldrums and unto the path of Change.

The ‘Change’ mantra thus became the APC’s determination to put a total end to the ‘business as usual’ syndrome; it was a collective resolve to put our country on a sound footing towards creating a corruption-free society, a nation that would be hailed for true progress by the rest of the world.

It was on that premise, and riding on the colourful crest waves of public acceptance and good will, that the government of President Muhammadu Buhari came to power in May, 2015. This also by necessary implication is the ground for the new era in the NCS, wherein the thirty fourth (34) Comptroller-General of Customs was appointed in August, 2016. The appointment was intended to reposition the NCS in line with the change mantra of the Federal government. The mantle then fell on Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (rtd), a retired military officer well known for his anti-corruption reputation, to reform, restructure and increase the revenue as generated by the NCS. It is now one year since the appointment, and the question is how far has the NCS fared in this direction? This shall be the focus in this piece.

The Journey So Far

The NCS which is an agency of the federal government, charged with the statutory duty of revenue collection, anti-smuggling operations and other ancillary duties thereto, because of its importance has witnessed several reforms in the past which seems unending, all in the attempt to reposition it for better performance especially in the face of dwindling oil revenue.

Col. Ali’s appointment was therefore anchored on this preposition so that with his wealth of experience as a former governor cum administrator, the desired result would be achieved. He strode into office with an effusive resolve to make a difference in his characteristic focused manner. He came with a mandate to reform, restructure and increase revenue and set to work in no time, albeit with an infectious vigour. Also, typical of him, he first addressed the officers and men immediately he resumed and laid bare his reform agenda, and how he choose to go about it.

The highlight of his consultation with the officers and men include:

• To fight corruption, and restore discipline through attitudinal reorientation for efficient and effective service delivery.

• To optimally achieve the core statutory functions of the service, of revenue collection, trade compliance, and facilitation, anti-smuggling activities, national security amongst others, based on the service motto “Justice and Honesty’’.

• To commensurately enhance the welfare of officers and men for maximum service delivery.

• To ensure the strict application of Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA) CAP-C45 Laws of Federal of Nigeria (LFN) 2004, Customs Codes, Extant Laws and Federal Government’s Circulars in all Customs operations, through training and re-training of officers and men on how to apply them in their day to day operations.

• To address all anomalies manifest in recruitment, training, posting and promotion of officers and men of the service

• All customs officers and men to adhere strictly to customs clearance, guidelines and procedures

• All Customs Area Controllers, Head of Units and Departments to be held accountable for all established infractions to do with false declaration, deliberate misapplication of the tariff, under valuation and concealment

• The extant procedure of disposal of seizures and overtime cargoes to be comprehensively reviewed to address the current abuse

• To overhaul and strengthened the Legal and Investigation Units to meet the maximum demands of the emerging challenges

• To further upgrade the Customs Training Colleges in Lagos and Kano and the Academy in Abuja

• To punish officers with corrupt tendencies in line with laid down disciplinary regulations

• To strengthened the NCS relationship with all critical stakeholders both locally and internationally

• The office of the Comptroller – General to be opened 24/7, to legitimate complaint from members of the public in the spirit of optimizing quality service delivery.

His speech as outlined above chronicled his reform agenda, and indeed covered all the areas that needed to be addressed for effective performance.

To this end, on November 2, 2015 he approved the appointment of a new management team to assist him in the assignment. A detailed briefing programme as done in the military, was also put in place commencing from September, 2015 through June, 2016. It quick started from the Departments, Units and other formations in Abuja, and was extended to the four Zones. The essence of the programme is to see and assess the situation of things himself so that in line with his speech as articulated above, the necessary solution would be proffered accordingly.

The exercise paid off greatly as consciousness is being instilled in the officers, and the desire to do things the right way is gaining ground.

This is a legacy he has established which will continue to be the magic wand, to cure any potential convulsion in the NCS.

The same robust system of partnership was extended to other agencies, and his visit to them further strengthened their symbiotic relationship, which has paid off in several respects.

He can, from the points highlighted so far be described as a “CZAR” of Reform in the NCS. The question however is who really is he, and how was he able to do it? The answer no doubt is found in the profile of an achiever thus:

Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (rtd) aka Mr. Fix it

His reputation in righteous rigidity, his indignation at dirty deals speaks loudly for him. Everyone who knows Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (rtd) knows him as a straightforward, no-nonsense personality always bent on doing things the right way. Born on January 15, 1955 in Bauchi, Ali was Military Administrator of Kaduna State from August 1996 – August 1998 during the regime of Late Head of State General Sani Abacha. He holds a Bachelor and Masters degree in Criminology, a discipline that has prepared him for governance over the years. These attributes had always recommended him highly in the various positions he was appointed and where he left indelible and timely reforms.

After his retirement from the Nigerian Army, he became the Secretary of the Arewa Consultative Forum and since then has maintained his steely character, which is suitable for incorruptible values. This attribute no doubt earned him the appointment as the Comptroller General of Customs at a time that the government needed somebody to stir the affairs of the NCS in line with the Change mantra. His disposition so far since assumption of office, and as evidenced in the feats achieved by way of bringing stability to the operations of the NCS, no doubt is a confirmation of the assertion that he is “Mr. fix it right”. This indeed is a great asset to the proponents of the “change mantra”.

Conclusion

There is no doubt that Ali, in the span of one year has succeeded tremendously in his bid to sanitize the NCS and to infuse progress. This, say the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, was in synch with Ali’s precedence. According to Shehu who spoke with newsman at Ali’s inauguration as the Customs henchman last year, Ali is the best man for the job. “If you do know him (Ali), how many of his types do we have in this country? This is the man who many probably felt should have gone to head the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). But, looking at the critical place of the Customs in the economy of this country, you need somebody like him. After oil, the next revenue spinner for the government is the Customs.’

From CGC Ali’s work so far in the last one year, one can only say, this is just the beginning of brighter days for the NCS and indeed, our Fatherland, Nigeria.

Musa Omale (Ph. D)

Assist. Comptroller of Customs