1,997 Senior Customs Officers Promoted

By Tayo Babalola |

Senior customs officers who have waited with bated breath for their delayed promotion got a break last week as the service announced the elevation of 1,997 officers to their next ranks.

The Nigeria Customs Service Board (NCSB) , in its first meeting, confirmed the appointments of four members of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) management and approved the promotion of 1,997 senior officers to various ranks.

The promotion effective from January 1, 2017 is according to the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), based on cumulative scores of annual evaluation, written examination, oral interview, seniority and availability of vacancies.

NCSB first meeting presided over by its chairman, Minister of Finance Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, approved the new ranks.

Following the meeting held at the Ministry of Finance, the newly confirmed members of NCS management and other promoted officers who are serving at the headquarters were decorated with their new ranks by Comptroller-General Hamed Ali in his office at the Customs headquarters.

They are DCS, Talatu Isa Mario (Tariff and Trade ), ACG, Ibrahim Yakubu Maikarfi (FATS) and ACG Ali BuKarl Ama Amajam (E,I &I) and Comptroller Adesanmi Omiye (International Customs Desk).

Some of the newly promoted Comptrollers are Gumi HK (Tarriffs and Trade) Itotoh G A (Comand and Staff College) Adediran JO (Ikorodu terminal), Agbara O.M (Ogun State Command)

The new promotion exercise has generated heightened tension among senior officers who were agitating following the delay in announcing the results of the promotional exams written since November, 2017.

It was gathered that the officers were not happy following the inability of the Customs Board to meet and ratify their promotions.

Insinuations were rife that the minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun ,who has the powers to call for the meeting of the Board, deliberately kept it to allegedly even scores with the Comptroller-General of Customs, Col.Hameed Ali (rtd) who was said to be at loggerheads with the minister.

However, a highly placed customs source dismissed such insinuation which he believed only existed in the fertile imagination of the peddlers,saying there was no problem between the Customs boss and the minister.

He attributed the seeming delay to the busy schedule of the minister.