Maritime Editors Task President Tinubu on Amendment of the Customs Act, Specify Tenure of CGC, Others.
By Ovie Edomi
If all things are working according to plan in the Nigeria Customs Service, it is mainly as a result of the current excellent performance of the leadership and management team of the Customs Service. Even then those with inside knowledge say the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Act 2023 which birthed in place of CEMA if amended will be the magic needed to bring absolute professionalism and motivation to Customs Officers.
Even though the present Customs Comptroller General has brought a Midas touch to the Customs, thus making the Nigeria Customs Service to be near out of the woods, there appears to be a missing link in the 2023 Customs Act amendment. Those with inside knowledge say that decades of clamour for the autonomy of the Service, and indeed, the specific tenure of appointees in the management cadre of the Service, including the Comptroller-General of the Service, Deputy Comptroller-General and Assistant Comptroller Generals was left out.
The current scenario is that the tenure of the Comptroller-General of the Service, Deputy Comptroller-General and Assistant Comptroller Generals,
is not stated, a development in which they simply retire on attaining 35 years in Service or 60 years of age. It does not matter whether they spend six months in office, as they are compelled to bow out irrespective of what developmental programmes they have at hand.
The League of Maritime Editors not only sees this as an aberration and the Maritime Editors are calling on the Federal Government, specifically the National Assembly, to as a matter of urgency, consider an urgent amendment to this aspect of the Customs Act.
Feelers at the National Assembly indicate that the 10th National Assembly would not sweep the issue under the carpet. Interestingly too, the House of Representatives Committee on Customs and Excise had given an indication of an amendment of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023.
The Maritime editors a union of Senior Journalists whose coverage of the maritime industry spanned over four decades under the current leadership of Remi Itie, says the planned amendment by the House of Representatives Committee on Customs and Excise is an opportunity to address the lacuna.
It would be recalled that Honourable Leke Abejide during a recent visit to the Lagos ports regretted that the 2023 Nigeria Customs Service Act failed to stipulate tenure in its provisions, promising that part of the amendment would be to ensure a four year statutory tenure for any serving Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC).
Equally concerned about the tenure of serving Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), the President of the League of Maritime editors, Remi Itie in a press statement recently called on the Federal Government, including the lawmakers to expedite action on the amendment and specify tenure of appointees in the management cadre of the Service, including the Comptroller-General of the Service, Deputy Comptroller-General and Assistant Comptroller Generals. This Remi Itie noted is to ensure a sustainable leadership plan for the Nigeria Customs Service.
The League of Maritime editors is confident too that this time the House Committee, in its reform would take into cognisance of the fact that Central Bank Governor and the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) are all government appointees whose stay in office are tenured. Similarly, the editors insist that there are other agencies with such tenure, including the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) who enjoy a tenure of five years and can do a maximum of two tenures.
Hence the Maritime editors led by Remi Itie says the Federal Government should consider the Customs Act amendment with the provisions for the position of the CGC to be tenured either for four years or five years, with a single tenure, at the worse scenario.
“With such time, the CGC on assuming office would be able to plan development efforts, execute some of them before leaving office, while mentoring successors for sustainable management”, Remi Itie stated.
The League of Editors President also noted that not only would Nigerians see a more steady and professionalize Nigeria Customs Service but one truly dedicated to trade facilitation and revenue generation.
By this submission of the maritime editors, over to the federal government and the National Assembly.
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