HOW CUSTOMS COMPT. OFFERED BUHARI N20M FOR CGC

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  Col. Ali Reports To Office, Works From Home

• Compt. Ndalati  In Trouble

With the dust raised in the Nigeria Customs Service(NCS) over the appointment of a retired Military Colonel, Hammeed Ali as the Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC) yet to settle, fresh facts have emerged on why President Muhammadu Buhari preferred him for the job.

Meanwhile, some customs officers have been shortlisted for dismissal from the service for alleged gross corruption, indiscipline and disobedience to the regimented authority.

The new CGC who reported to the customs headquarters, Abuja and met with the Deputy Comptroller Generals (DCGs),last week, briefly, is said to have been loaded with happenings in the service and as such he is planning a major shake-up in the system. He is said to have commenced gathering intelligence information about customs and some officers from his home, with the help of a serving Army Captain as a Personal Assistant.

MMS Plus gathered that among the serving senior officers who lobbied for the position of CGC, a serving Customs  Area Controller (CAC) offered Buhari and his aides N20 Million cash and was ready to dole out more funds.

Buhari was also said not to be ready to make enmity with former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former President Ibrahim Babangida, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, among many other networth  individuals who had presented different senior serving customs officers as candidates for the position of CGC.

However, MMS Plus further gathered that Col. Ali is already working according to the mandate given to him by President Buhari and one of the expected  victims of the intended disciplinary action to be introduced could be Comptroller Ndalati Garba, the supposed immediate past CAC of Seme Customs Command, who has allegedly refused to leave Seme on transfer as directed by the customs management headed by DCG John Atte as the former Acting CGC.

Before the coming of Col. Ali, Atte had approved the redeployment of five customs comptrollers as part of customs’ resolve to tighten border security and achieve the new N35 billion monthly target.

Comptroller Ndalati, who has been redeployed to customs headquarters, Abuja is to be replaced by Compt. Madusu  Sani,  from Customs Training College, Ikeja.

MMS Plus learnt that since the transfer  two weeks ,ago, Compt. Nadalati has refused to leave Seme Customs Command on the alleged account that DCG Atte had no right and reason to redeploy him.

This development has posed a serious concern in the customs and freight forwarding circles such that concerned officers and clearing agents are asking where he derived the power in a regimented para-military set up where order and loyalty are given priority.
However, Compt. Ndalati was on Thursday, summoned to Abuja but as at Friday, Compt. Sani, who is to replace him confirmed that he was yet to resume in Seme as directed, saying that Compt. Ndalati was still in Abuja.

Consequently, it was gathered that arrangement had been concluded by the new customs management to enforce discipline either by de-ranking  him or give him outright dismissal. However, this could not be confirmed by a competent customs source as at press time. When contacted, Compt. Ndalati told MMS Plus: “Please, I don’t deal on rumours and please, I am sleeping. Thank you!”