News Investigators/ The Nigeria Customs Service Board (NCSB) has confirmed the appointment of one Deputy Comptroller General (DCG), and seven Assistant Comptrollers General (ACGs) to the service’s management team.
The spokesman of the service, Abdullahi Maiwada, made this known in a statement on Friday in Abuja.
Mr Maiwada said that the appointments were made to fill vacancies created by the retirement of some management staff from the affected geopolitical zones of the federation.
The appointees were DCG S. Chiroma, North-East and ACGs Z.M Gaji North-East, O.A Adebakin, South-West; GM Omale, North-Central; M.S Yusuf, North-Central;DA Nnadi,South-East, HK Ejibunu, North-Central; and D Hassan, (North-East).
The spokesman said that the move aligned with the service’s commitment to national inclusivity, institutional balance, and adherence to the Federal Character Policy, as outlined in Section 14(4) of the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023.
He said that the board also approved the promotion of 4,291 senior officers at its 61st regular meeting.
“The meeting was chaired by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Wale Edun.
“Furthermore, the promotion of senior officers highlights the exceptional performance of both General Duty (GD) and Support Staff (SS) personnel during the 2024 promotion exercise.
“The 4,291 officers elevated include 80 Deputy Comptrollers (DC) advanced to Customs Comptroller (CC), 151 Assistant Comptrollers (AC) to Deputy Comptroller (DC),and 612 Chief Superintendents of Customs (CSC) to Assistant Comptroller (AC).
“Others are 641 Superintendents of Customs (SC) to Chief Superintendent of Customs (CSC), 392 Deputy Superintendents of Customs (DSC) to Superintendent of Customs (SC).
“There are also 590 Assistant Superintendents of Customs I (ASC I) to Deputy Superintendent of Customs (DSC), 965 Assistant Superintendents of Customs II (ASC II) to ASC I, and 860 Inspectors of Customs (IC) to ASC II, ”he said.
According to Mr Maiwada, a 12-month service extension has been granted to distinguished senior officers representing the six geopolitical zones of the Federation.
“A 12-month service extension has been granted to selected distinguished senior officers representing the six geopolitical zones of the Federation.
“This is to safeguard operational continuity and preserve the wealth of institutional knowledge amid the retirement of numerous senior officers.
“The extension of service for these officers, ratified by the board meeting, follows the Presidential approval for the measure meant to address the current high rate of NCS management turnover,” he said.
He said that officers granted this esteemed extension included Assistant Comptrollers-General B Imam,North-East; IG Umar, North-West; and KC Egwu,South-East.
“There are also Comptrollers F Abdulqadri, North-Central; MT Awe, South-West; and OF Ojiefor, South-South,”he said.
He said the board also approved special promotion of 16 officers due to their exceptional performance to assigned responsibilities.
He said that the board also approved a posthumous promotion in honour of the late Deputy Comptroller of Customs, Etop Essien, who died on June 25, during a presentation before the National Assembly House Committee on Public Accounts.
He emphasised the determination of NCS to improve its service delivery and streamline its administrative processes in line with global best practices.
Mr Maiwada said that the board approved a strategic restructuring by transferring its Post Clearance Audit (PCA) Unit directly to the Office of the Comptroller General from the Tariff and Trade Department.
“This pivotal unit now, elevated in status, will be headed by an Assistant Comptroller General.
“This will ensure stronger oversight, increased efficiency, and alignment with the service’s commitment to excellence in operational standards,” he said.
He said that while the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, extended his congratulations to all the newly appointed, promoted, and retained officers, he urged them to uphold the service’s core mandates and maintain excellence.
NAN