Although not termed a protest, the situation at the Nigeria Customs Serves appears a protest against the leadership style of the newly appointed Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Hamid Ali, as all five Deputy Comptroller-Generals of the Nigerian Customs have resigned.
The five DCGs announced their resignation jointly in a curt letter dated October 29, 2015 titled “Voluntary Retirement” addressed to the Chairman of the Customs Board.
The letter read: “We the underlisted officers currently on the rank of Deputy Comptroller-General met today, 29 October 2015 and unanimously agreed to voluntarily retire from the service of the Nigerian Customs Service having risen to the privileged rank of Deputy Comptroller-General.
We need to thank the President for giving is the opportunity to serve our great nation, Nigeria.”
The letter was signed by Atte, A.J with service number 31441; Musa T.A, 31454; Mera I.M, 37595; Nwosu A.C, 34421; Adewuyi A.A, 30727.
No reason for resignation was given, but it is believed that the DCG unanimously quit service following the no-nonsense leadership style of Mr Ali, a retired army Colonel, known for his anti-corruption stance.
The Nigeria customs is believed to be one of the most endemically corrupt institutions in the country and Mr. Ali was recalled from retirement by President Muhammadu Buhari to help sanitise the agency.
A statement from the comptroller-general is expected today (Friday).
Mr. Ali has taken a firm stand since assumption of office. On his second day at work, he read the Riot Act to officers and men, where he vowed to jail anyone involved in corruption or any other unethical practices.
