Irregularities in administration posting at Apapa customs sparks off controversy

By ZION Olalekan

There is an ongoing controversy at the Apapa command of the Nigeria Customs Service over alleged irregularity in administration, especially as the command is said to have a vacant office of Deputy Comptroller in Charge of administration.

A concerned stakeholder who pleaded anonymity told Nigeriamaritime360.com that the command has been operating without a DC Admin since the last occupant of the office, DC Igbita retired last year.

According to him, the Comptroller recently assigned an Assistant Comptroller, AC Ebang, to occupy the office in acting capacity, a development which some of the Deputy Comptrollers at the command frowned at.

A source explained that “The DC Admin is supposed to be second in command to the Area Controller, the oldest DC is the one that usually takes up the Admin, the DC is supposed to be in place but they went ahead to put an Assistant Comptroller.

“He has not been able to discharge his duties properly because he has to cross some DC who is higher than him in rank.

“The command is violating the Customs system. It is not possible for a Deputy Comptroller to report to an Assistant Comptroller in acting capacity while we have a lot of DCs ripe to hold the position”.

Reacting to these concerns however, Public Relations Officer of the command, Mrs Nkiru Nwala explained that it is the duty of the Comptroller General of Customs to carry out posting of Deputy Comptrollers.

He described the allegation as purely an administrative issue, saying that there is no big deal in it.

According to her, the customs service is a regimented service and the regimentation is about discipline and control, it is not about administration.

Speaking, she said “The Special Assistant to the CAC is a DC, so it is not an issue at all; he was an AC before he got his new rank, and he was not posted.

“When there is going to be a general posting, that is when we can have a new DC Admin, we are waiting for the general posting.

Apart from APM, there is no DC in Apapa, valuation, PCA is headquarters posting.

“The posting of DC comes directly from office of the CGC, subject to when a DC would be deployed from Abuja, the office would be headed by an AC.

“A deputy comptroller or Assistant Comptroller can be deployed to head a command”, she said.