Customs

Jubilation in Customs as Tinubu sacks Hameed Ali as CGC

Wale Adeniyi, Ag, CGC

The eyewitness reporter

There was wild jubilation among the men and officers of the Nigeria Customs Service over the sack of Hameed Ali as the Comptroller General of Customs.

It would be recalled that President Ahmed Tinubu, Monday, approved the sack of the retired Colonel in a major shake-up in the military and paramilitary circle.

He was replaced by DCG Wale Adeniyi.

The happy mood among the officers also seeped into the rank of the freight forwarders who equally heaved a sigh of relief at the unceremonious exit of a maximum ruler who ruled the customs as his fiefdom.

“He suffocated and polluted the benign atmosphere in the customs for eight years he reigned with his draconian laws and jackboot administration.

“His sack was a welcome development, good riddance to bad rubbish.

“It could have come much earlier” a jubilant officer who pleaded for anonymity, said.

It could be recalled that in 2015, former President Buhari brought Ali, a non-career Customs Officer Col(rtd) Ali, to head the service under the pretext of reforming and repositioning the Customs in a bid to raise the revenue profile of the organization.

“If he has any strand of moral fibre left in him, he should have left with his principal who imposed him on the service against the wish of career officers” an anonymous source noted.

“If I were him, I would have gone with my principal and not waited to be booted out the way he was eased out in an undignified manner,” another source said.

It was gathered that Ali received the news of his sack in far-away Brussels in Belgium where he was attending the World Customs Organization (WCO) conference.

“What an ignoble way to go out when he could have honourably resigned his position earlier than now when his principal left the office” a freight forwarder noted.

Most of the officers spoken to, who passionately pleaded for anonymity for fear of victimisation, declared that Ali’s eight years in Customs has done more harm to the collective psyche of the officers, and the general good of the service.

According to the respondents, apart from the regular promotions which officers benefitted as well as robust welfare packages and the enhanced revenue profile of the service, they claimed the service has not fared any better under the jackboot reign of the ex-soldier.

“He came to distort the auctioning system in the service which we use to dispose of abandoned cargos in a bid to stave off port congestion.

“But since he introduced his now moribund e – auctioning system, there has been a stockpile of abandoned cargos that had rotten away at the port.

“Go to the border stations across the country, seized cars as well as edible products like rice are there rotten.

“Go to the customs government warehouses, especially in Lagos, they are filled to the brim with seized goods and vehicles that are now rotten” a respondent lamented.

“The system he and his principal, Buhari, adopted to dispose of the edible products such as rice and vegetable oil to the Internally Displaced Persons(IDPs) camps, especially in the North East, is fraught with fraud as most of these items were diverted for personal use” another source alleged.

“Given his military background, the Federal Operations Units of the service, under him, became more vicious and cold-blooded in their operations as there were rampant cases of killing, maiming of innocent citizens and indiscriminate raiding of markets and warehouses across the country” another source observed.

“Under his leadership, corruption was endemic” a non-Customs source claimed.

The source, who is a high-ranking freight forwarder plying his trade in Lagos ports, said despite the so-called automation system in customs, extortion reigned supreme under the nose of Ali who they accused of providing the enabling environment that make the ignoble act fester.

Another source also pointed out the controversial Customs modernisation project, which was spearheaded by Ali’s regime, as the biggest and most monumental fraud in the history of the Customs.

“What are they modernising?, an angry customs source asked rhetorically.

“Ali met modernised customs service whose operations are automated.

“We started the automated process with the ASYCUDA platform which has since been upgraded to a hi-tech operational process.

“What was needed was a continuous improvement in the automation process and capacity building for officers to match the fast-paced technical innovation in the global Customs operations

“To then conceive such fraud as Customs Modernisation project which conceded the revenue generation aspect of customs to outsiders, is not only ingenuously fraudulent but a de-service to the country” an irate source declared.

Another source observed that the increased revenue profile that the service witnessed under Ali and erroneously counted in his favour was nothing other than the function of the high exchange rate.

“You know that for some years now, the exchange rate has gone into a spin, spiraling out of control due to the forlorn economic policies of Ali’s principal.

“This has indeed helped to boost the revenue collection of the service.

“This should not by any means be attributed to any ingenious policy change of Ali or the so-called plugging of revenue leakages as corruption under the sacked CGC assumed the hydra-headed status of a monster”

The general mood among the men and officers of the Customs is that of big relief at the sack of the maximum ruler in the customs service.

They all hailed the appointment of Wale Adeniyi whom they described as their own and believed will have more empathy than his sacked predecessor.

“Oga Adeniyi is a thoroughbred customs officer who rose through the rank and knows the internal workings of the service” a jubilant officer declared.

“Officers will be glad to work with him to build customs of our dream” another respondent stated.

“Affliction will not rise again. Never again shall we have the misfortune of having a non-career officer as our CG.

“Thank God for the new Customs Act which bars people like Ali who are non-customs officers to become the CGC,” a customs source said.

The maritime media also caught the bug of happiness over the sack of Ali.

“He has no regard for journalists. He treated the media with arrogance and disdain.

” He was the worst thing to have ever happened to the customs in its over 100 years of existence” an obviously elated maritime journalist declared.

“We have watched Wale Adeniyi, the new CG, grow through the rank and we hope his exceptionally sharp public relations acumen will not be blunted by the lure and lucre of his new office.” another maritime media practitioner declared.

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6 Comments

Mustapha Baba suleman

June 21, 2023 at 8:54 pm

Pigs armored robbers why will you like Ali.

Dirty lots

Reply
Abdul Aziz

June 21, 2023 at 9:10 pm

You can say whatever you like about Hamid Ali but not corruption, he is one of the few honest people in this country. Take it or leave it he did very well as far as generating revenue is concerned,in fact in the history of custom no comptroller general has generated such revenue like him.

Reply
Francis adams

June 22, 2023 at 12:02 pm

There was no jubilation, we only jebiliated because the right man was brought in.

Reply
Realist

June 22, 2023 at 2:12 pm

Buhari planted his kinsmen into sensitive positions to plunder and maimed the system and succeeded in doing so. How do you expect a dunce, unintelligent person to choose than his sorts .

Reply
AGBEJE

June 22, 2023 at 3:10 pm

Mr. President, congratulations for a good start which even your avowed enemies cannot deny. Please as you settle down for the greater work of redeeming the nation, I suggest that you send a bill to the National Assembly to criminalise sale employment opportunities in public institutions to the highest bidders to allow the children of nobody to compete for employment in the public institutions. This rape is being perpetuated against Nigerians for over eight (8) year in collaboration with the Federal Character Commission. Some people think it is even part of APC Manifestos to sell employment in public institutions! Kindly ensure that someone in contravention goes to jail to send a signal to the demi-gods in charge of public institutions. Sir, if you do this and also stop the frivolous interventions by CBN I guarantee you unprecedented 15million votes for second tenure. Thank you Sir!

Reply
AMINA YAKUBU

June 24, 2023 at 9:48 pm

I AMINA YAKUBU I need to joy dis Nigeria customer service, I’m always replying the work I won’t see any action, oh my God, my people help me 08068051071

Reply

Customs

Customs threatens to arrest, prosecute air travellers carrying currency above $10,000 threshold without declaration.

-as Nigeria tightens its anti- money laundering laws

Gloria Odion

The Nigeria customs service, in collaboration with other sister agencies, had engaged international airline operators in a sensitization exercise over the need to strengthen Nigeria’s anti- money laundering laws.

The sensitization programme, held at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, was meant to raise awareness on the importance of enforcing Nigeria’s currency declaration laws among inbound and outbound travellers.

The engemement addressed the role of airline personnel in ensuring compliance, especially in reminding passengers about declaration requirements through in-flight announcements, form distribution, and cooperation during customs checks.

Officials emphasised that any passenger carrying over the regulatory threshold, currently $10,000 or its equivalent, is required to make a declaration to the authorities.

Failure to comply, they warned, could result in seizure, investigation, and prosecution under Nigeria’s anti-money laundering laws.

Additional requirements discussed included the mandatory submission of electronic manifests (e-Manifests) before aircraft arrival, as well as complete passenger details such as names, countries of origin and destination, and flight numbers, stating that these records allow customs and security officers to conduct targeted risk assessments and enhance border surveillance operations.

Assistant Comptroller of Customs in charge of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Unit, Salihu Mas’ud, led the engagement and expressed confidence in the outcomes.

According to him, the Service has already implemented several operational tools to support effective enforcement.

“What we have achieved so far is to be able to sensitise them. We’ve gone round to check all the points.

” We have dedicated search rooms for secondary searches. There are dedicated posts for currency declarations, and they are in place.

” Announcements are also being made on the Public Address System. We have also gotten the commitment of the airline operators to ensure that these announcements are also being made on board their flights,” he said.

He added, “We expect higher compliance, and it will strengthen our enforcement mechanism.

” It also ensures that defaulters and violators of currency declarations are detected promptly and forwarded for necessary investigation and prosecution.”

The sensitisation session highlighted the importance of inter-agency collaboration in securing Nigeria’s borders and preventing illicit financial flows.

With growing concerns over terrorism financing and smuggling of undeclared funds, the NCS said sustained partnerships with airline operators, airport authorities, and intelligence agencies will remain key to its success.

Customs

Customs trails scammers preying on innocent Nigerians over recruitment exercise

— discredits fake CBT shortlist circulating online

Gloria Odion

The Nigeria Customs Service has discovered a fake press release falsely announcing the shortlisted candidates for a Computer -Based Test(CBT) for the recruitment into the service.

According to the statement by the Customs High command, the release was fraudulent, misleading and the handiwork of scammers who are preying on the impatience and gullibility of the applicants.

The Customs High Command however promised to go after the perpetrators of this falsehood and bring the to book.

The service however warned all the applicants not to fall prey to the antics of the scammers but exercise patience and await official notice about the recruitment exercise from all the Customs verified channels.

“The attention of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has been drawn to a fake press release currently circulating on social media and other messaging platforms, falsely announcing the shortlist for a Computer-Based Test (CBT).

“The purported release falsely asserts that the CBT is scheduled to take place in July, 2025 as part of the ongoing NCS recruitment exercise.

“The NCS wishes to categorically state that the said press release is fraudulent, misleading, and did not emanate from the Nigeria Customs Service.

“At no time did the Service issue any such announcement regarding a CBT slated to take place in July 2025.

“Upon close scrutiny, it is clear that the fake statement contains several discrepancies, particularly in its formatting.

” The e-signature format differs from our official standard and the recruitment timeline mentioned shows a faulty structure that is not connected to any legitimate process.

“The Nigeria Customs Service understands the interest of many Nigerians in its ongoing recruitment process and urges the public not to engage with, share, or act upon such unverified content.

” Authentic information about NCS activities, including its ongoing recruitment exercises, will be published only on our official website, verified social media platforms, and recognised national newspapers.

” The Service is taking steps to trace the origin of this false information and will take appropriate action to hold those responsible accountable.

“When the Service is set to begin the next phase of the recruitment process, the public will be duly notified through appropriate channels.

“The NCS deeply appreciates the vigilance of concerned Nigerians.

“We reaffirm our commitment to protecting the public from misinformation, ensuring all our processes uphold the highest standards of transparency and integrity” the statement concluded.

Customs

Apapa Customs shuts three bonded terminals over unwholesome practices, collects N1. 378 trillion revenue in six months

Funso OLOJO / Gloria Odion

The Apapa port command of the Nigeria customs service has collected the sum of N1.378 trillion revenue in the first half of 2025.

The revenue represents a 35 percent increase above the N1.023 trillion collected within the same period in 2024, marking a N354 billion increase in revenue collection.

Making this declaration on Thursday, July 3rd, 2025, the Area Controller of the command, Comptroller Babatunde Olomu, said the half year of 2025 has been outstanding in revenue collection, trade facilitation, enhanced stakeholder engagement, deployment of technology, improvement in compliance, and uncompromising discipline.

“We surpassed our collection trajectory and revenue target, achieving laudable milestones, including the issuance of the first Single Goods Declaration (SGD) using the BODE platform on the 9th of May 2025.

“This marks a significant shift towards faster and more reliable cargo handling. We have deployed a robust platform that facilitates trade and ensures timely clearance of cargo, addressing challenges such as poor network connectivity, delays, and congestion associated with the former system” Olomu declared.

Meanwhile, Comptroller Olomu disclosed that three bonded terminals within the control of the command has been sealed for various infractions on the terms and conditions of their license.

He said one of them has even been charged to court.

Sources however whispered to our reporter that the affected terminals may have compromised on revenue returns to the command and been complicit in smuggling activities.

Olumu further declared that nine containers comprising unregistered pharmaceuticals, used clothing, expired margarine, wild animals’ skin, and codeine syrup were seized by the command during the period under review.

“These form part of the twenty-seven 27 containers seized between January and June 2025, with a duty paid value (DPV) of N9,267,443,966.00.

“The seizures include 10 containers of unregistered pharmaceuticals, two containers of codeine syrup, two containers of stolen vehicles, four containers of second-hand clothing and other sundry items.

“These seizures are part of our efforts to prevent Nigerians from consuming unwholesome foods and drugs, stop illicit trade, and protect our local industries. As a standard, we will not compromise the safety of Nigerians on the altar of trade facilitation.

“Prominent on the list of the 28 seizures made by the command during the period under review are unregistered pharmaceuticals, controlled drugs, used clothing, codeine syrup, wild animals’ skin, and other sundry items.

“It is pertinent to note that trafficking of wild animals contravene the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which Nigeria is a signatory to.

“Additionally, on the detention list is a container of matches imported without the required End User Certificate (EUC) as provided for in our extant laws.

Very recently, under the guidance of the CGC, we opened discussions with officials of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) and other stakeholders from various associations on developing a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the movement of goods by rail from Apapa Port to other states.

These talks have shown great prospects for success, with pledges of support and anticipation for robust participation by all concerned. This effort to revive cargo movement by rail aims to decongest the port, reduce pressure on Apapa roads, and provide a viable and cost-effective cargo movement option for importers, exporters, freight forwarding practitioners, haulage operators, and licensed customs agents.