Nigeria Customs: Time to cleanse the Augean Stable

Nigeria Customs Service has a reputation for been a cesspool of corruption; a reputation earned and has stuck like a leech over the years.

The negative public perception of the government agency is fed with the fabulous life style and wealth of its officers which are often times incommensurate with their legitimate earnings.

As a result, the service is one of the few agencies of government often desperately sought after by the teeming Nigerian job seekers who believe it is a cash cow where they can make quick money.

So when Col. Hameed Ali (Rtd) was appointed in August 2015 to head the Service, many had assumed he would be a broom that will cleanse the stinking Augean Stable.

Given his military background rooted in strict disciplinary fashion, not few industry stakeholders believed the former Kaduna state military administrator was the messiah the Customs needs.

This perception was further boosted by the anti-corruption toga Ali decked himself with on his resumption in September, 2015 as the Comptroller-General.

In a move meant to instil fears and infuse discipline in the officers and signal his determination to cleanse the rot in the Customs, Ali fired scores of high-ranking officers, demoted some and rejigged the entire management structure of the service.

He told the already jittery officers that he would not only dismiss corrupt officers caught, but will prosecute and jail them with maximum sentence.

He told them he has come to reform, restructure and boost the revenue profile of the service and would not bat an eyelid to sacrifice any officer who does not fit into his mission.

This hard stance evidently scared and sent jitters down the spines of the officers who, within few months after Ali came, maintained a low profile, especially those whose stock in trade was to compromise the cargo clearing process for pecuniary gains.

However, nigeriamaritime360.com notes with concerns that the semblance of sanity which the initial hard-line posture of CGC Ali brought to the Customs has unfortunately whittled down considerably.

We made bold to say that the alleged compromising attitude of officers to undermine cargo clearing process for personal gains for which the service has earned notoriety has resurfaced with the ferocity of a tiger.

These acts are however carried out in the most discreet manner in order to evade the attention of Ali.

Most stakeholders claimed that corruption in Customs under Ali has assumed a menacing dimension, clinically carried out with ruthless efficiency.

They further claimed that few officers who were not smart enough are often caught and made scapegoats.

We are tempted to align our belief with theirs, given the preponderance of allegations of corrupt practices among officers in recent times.

Freight forwarders and a section of maritime media have come out to allege unprecedented sleaze going on in the Customs.

More alarming in their allegations was the claims that these illicit activities are being aided and abetted by the Customs high command.

They pointedly accused the Federal Operations Unit and Strike Force, said to be the creation of the CGC, of exacerbating the illicit activities that are said to be the stock in trade of not a few resident officers.

In as much as we acknowledged the position of the stakeholders, we must however caution that this unwholesome behaviour of some unscrupulous officers should not be linked with the Comptroller-General, more so when they lack sufficient proof to make such wild assumption.

We believe that human beings are dynamic and unpredictable, the most delicate resource to manage.

The few ones among the supposedly loyal and trusted officers through whom the CGC intends to execute his reforms may have taken undue advantage of their privileged positions to perpetrate these illicit practices.

As expected, the buck will undoubtedly stop on the table of the CGC who must take full responsibility for the actions of his officers.

Some stakeholders have also blamed what they described as the ignorance of CGC in some core functions of the Customs and its internal workings as a specialised agency which they said are different from military.

This assertion has a tinge of authenticity given the complicated and intricate nature of customs operations.

As a result, it will take an insider a little or no hassle to have a full grasp of the intricate operational procedures of customs , anticipate and nip any act of compromise of officers in the bud or at least , minimise such abuses.

However, it is entirely a different ball game for an outsider such as Ali who may still need more time to under study the technical aspects of the Customs operations or at best rely on the expertise of some supposedly trusted aids to monitor the situation.

We believe it was the gap in his knowledge of Customs operations which unscrupulous officers now exploit to perpetrate this illicit practice while those whose expertise the CGC relies on to prosecute his laudable agenda may have abused such privilege.

The situation is further complicated when the compromising elements within the Customs, who have no moral scruples, find willing allies in most freight forwarders who, with little or no prompting, are ready to pervert the process and compromise the officers.

This, to us explains the supposedly high crescendo to which the illicit activities have assumed in recent times.

We however sympathise with the CGC whose good intentions and visible determination to reform the service are being sabotaged by some unscrupulous officers in active connivance with their collaborators in the freight forwarding groups.

We recognise his efforts towards this regards to checkmate the menace of corruption in the service through his innovative ideas.

We laud his unwavering pursuit of automation of customs process through the introduction of an advanced NICIS II, an automated platform aimed at reducing human contacts that breed corruption.

We equally acknowledge the creation of special units such as the strike force to complement the efforts of the existing units such as the FOU which are meant to perform mop up operations and act as counter balance force against the supposedly abuses of the resident officers.

We also bears no grudge against the creation of Customs Police, a novel unit in the Customs patterned after similar bodies in other armed forces, meant to inspire, instil and enforce discipline within the service.

However, we suspect that all these laudable efforts may have been subverted through uncanny collusion among concerned officers.

And we dare say that where collusion is possible, control breaks down.

This explains, we assume, the supposedly preponderance of allegations of illicit activities against Customs officers who man these special units as they may have forged an unwholesome alliance with their resident counterparts and the ever willing freight forwarders.

We want to urge the CGC to recognise the fact that corruption is so endemic in the service that it needs persistent efforts and uncommon courage, which we are convinced he has, to fight the menace.

We also wish to advise the CGC to take criticism from the stakeholders in good faith and regard such as a feedback mechanism he should use to rejig his anti -corruption crusade in customs.

In a bid to correct the perception of official tacit support for some of these illicit practices, discreet surveillance should be mounted on the operation officers, including valuation officers, classification officers and officers in these special units with a view to making some of them scapegoats whenever they are caught.

Also, membership of these special units, including their heads, which we dare say have become tools of extortion, should be subjected to constant review to avoid entrenched interests that breed corruption.

The CGC should also make use of whistle -blower policy to monitor the activities of his officers, including his supposedly trusted aids in a bid to bring culpable officers to book.

The service should also embark on massive campaign on attitudinal change among officers and clearing agents against corrupt practices.

Tough military posture may not always work but we advocate carrot and stick approach to inspire compliance.

The Customs authority should institute reward system that recognises and appreciates officers who are found hard working and diligent in their duties.

We are aware that the Customs top hierarchy may be doing something in this regard but we call for greater and consistent efforts towards this direction.

In as much as we recognise the daunting task of fighting corruption in the Customs, especially the one that has been entrenched in the system over the years, we believe efforts could still be made to reduce the scourge, especially if such task is carried out with genuine interest, unwavering commitment and cast iron resolve, the needed qualities we believe the present Customs boss possesses.

Until such visible efforts and commitment are exhibited by CGC Ali, the critical stakeholders may scoff at his oft-repeated mission to reform Customs as a mere rhetoric and hollow statement that lack depth of conviction.

It is our wish that the retired Army Colonel would take up the gauntlet to cleanse the embedded rot in the Nigeria Customs Service.