Tinubu Tips Dikko’s Replacement

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  Buhari Still Undecided

• NPA Shaky
• NAGAFF, ANLCA Divided

The gale of leadership change in the nation’s parastatals which is already generating fear among some sitting chief executive officers, may soon sweep across the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).

Just last week, a new Group Managing Director for the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu was appointed with the executive management of the corporation sacked. Also, the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) got a new Executive Vice-Chairman, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta. Earlier, the Director-General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Mr. Patrick Akpobolokemi was sacked without the appointment of a substantive head.

While MMS Plus gathered that the position of the Managing Director of NPA, Alhaji Lamido Sanusi Ado Bayero is shaky because President Mohammed Buhari seems to be routing for his replacement with a former General Manager of the authority, the Comptroller General of Customs, Abdullahi Dikko Inde may be under-going a dilemma of his life, a situation precipitated by the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu.

Dikko was appointed CG of Customs on August 9, 2009 by the late President Umar Musa Yar’Adua for a four-year term which elapsed on August 18, 2013 but he has remained in office since then following a two year life-line given to him by former president Good- luck Jonathan.

MMS Plus gathered that Dikko has written to President Mohamed Buhari indicating interest to vacate his office on August 18, 2015 but he is yet to get feedback from the presidency. This move, it was gathered, he took, to bow out honourably but the campaign for additional one year by the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) has further strengthened his resolve to sit back.

Meanwhile, to hasten his exit Bola Tinubu was said to have mobilized a group of some serving and retired Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs (ACGs) and Comptrollers, especially from the South West ethnic extraction to commence campaign for his removal through allegations of corruption.

The Lagos Island, Lagos State born ACG Ade Dosumu, who is also the Customs Zonal Coordinator of NCS, Zone ‘B’ is being positioned to take over from Dikko by the group.

MMS Plus gathered that Tinubu’s interest which he has confided in his protégés is how to increase the revenue generation capacity of NCS through a private consultancy outfit, a move experimented under the late Head of state, Gen. Sanni Abacha, with the introduction of Professional Import Duty Administrations (PIDA) superintended by Chief Anthony Ani as Minister of Finance.

The Lobbyists came under the umbrella of Nigeria Customs Transparency Initiative, NCTI, which has dragged the Customs boss before the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over alleged abuse of office.

It was gathered, however, that the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has endorsed the group‘s choice for a South-West CG candidate.

Meanwhile, NAGAFF has written to president Buhari seeking additional one year in office for Dikko on the grounds that he has achieved so much in six years in office and as such one more year will help consolidate the on-going programme in the service.