Customs Service Board Confirms Appointment of 1 DCG, 8 ACGs, Approves Promotion of 4291 Senior Officers.

By Joe Njoku,
Global Freight News.

The Nigeria Customs Service Board (NCSB) at its 61st regular meeting held on the 18 December, 2024, chaired by the Honourable Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Wake Edun, confirmed the appointment of one Deputy Comptroller-General (DCG) seven Assistant Comptroller-Generals (ACGs). Additionally, 4291 Senior Officers were promoted.

The newly confirmed Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Management Team members include DCG Chiroma (North-East) and ACGs ZM Gaji (North-East)Nor, OA Adebakin (Southwest), GM Omale (North-Central), MS Yusuf (North Central), DA Nnadi (South-East), HK Ejibunu (North-Central) and D Hassan (North-East). These appointments are to fill the vacancies created based on the retirement of some management team members from the affected geopolitical zones of the federation. The action further aligns 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.

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. A breakdown of the 4291 officers elevated are as follows: 80 Deputy Comptrollers (DC) advanced to Customs Comptrollers (CC), 151 Assistant Comptrollers (AC) to Deputy Comptrollers (DC) and 612 Chief Superintendent of Customs (CSC) to Assistant Comptroller (AC).

Others are 641 Superintendent of Customs (SC) to Chief Superintendent of Customs (CSC), 392 Deputy Superintendent of Customs (DSC) to Superintendent of Customs (SC), 590 Assistant Superintendent of Customs (DSC), 965 Assistant Superintendent of Customs II (ASC II) to ASC I, and 860 inspectors of Customs (IC) to ASC II.

Recognising extraordinary contributions, the Board also approved special promotions for sixteen (16) deserving officers to the next rank based on their exceptional performance in various assigned responsibilities. In the same vain, the Board equally approved a posthumous promotion in honour of late Deputy Comptroller of Customs, Etop Andrew Essien, who passed away on June 25, 2024, during a presentation before the National Assembly Committee on Public Accounts. This gesture acknowledged his invaluable contributions and unwavering dedication, a testament to the organization’s appreciation of exceptional service and commitment.

As part of its drive for enhanced service delivery and streamlined administrative processes in line with global best practices, the Board approved a strategic restructuring, transferring the Post Clearance Audit (PCA) Unit directly to the office of the Comptroller-General from Tariff and Trade Department. This pivotal unit, now elevated in status, will be headed by an Assistant Comptroller-General, ensuring stronger oversight, increased efficiency, and alignment with the Service’s commitment to excellence in operational standards

To safeguard operational continuity and preserve the wealth of institutional knowledge amid the retirement of numerous senior officers, a twelve (12) Months service extension has been granted to selected distinguished senior officers representing the six geopolitical zones of the Federation.
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.
The officers granted this esteemed extension include Assistant Comptroller-Generals B Imam (North-East), IG Umar (Northwest),
KC Egwu, South-East as well as Comptrollers F Abdulqadri, North-Central, MT Awe, southwest and OF Ojiefor, south-south.