Special Feature
All Past Comptroller-Generals Of Nigeria Customs Service
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) is an independent customs agency tasked with revenue collection, accounting, and anti-smuggling operations.
Prior to April 1, 1977, the department was divided into two services: Revenue (technical) and Preventive (Enforcement).
This strategy of running the two services in tandem resulted in major disagreements and massive administrative issues.
The Nigerian Ministry of Finance is in charge of overseeing the service. It is in charge of customs revenue collection, trade facilitation on a national and international scale, and anti-smuggling operations.
The NCS is head by the comptroller general, who oversees the work of six deputy comptrollers general. in the following departments. The NCS board is chaired by the minister of finance.
Since its inception, Nigeria Customs Service has had a number of comptroller general. Each of them is listed below.
Shehu Ahmadu Musa
Shehu Ahmadu Musa was appointed as director of Nigeria Customs Service in 1978. He was in the ministry of health when General Murtala Muhammed made him the director of NCS.
His tenure was brief as he had the mandate only to organize the Board and department of Customs and Excise.
Shehu Ahmadu Musa re-organized the NCS and carried out reforms that established a foundation that it still exists on.
He was the director of Customs for one year and was the appointment he held prior to be becoming Secretary to the Government Of The Federation (SGF) in 1979.
Musa died of Kidney ailments in a London hospital in 2008.
Jacob Gyang Buba
Da Jacob Gyang Buba served as the Comptroller-General of Nigeria Customs Service from 2004 to 2008.
He became the CG in 2004 and together was the chairman of the African Union Sub-committee of directors general of Customs during the 2007 to 2008.
As the CG of customs, he implemented the adaptation of the Common External Tariffs for ECOWAS and operations of scanners in borders, areas of airports and port, he amends the holistic review of the Customs and Excise Management Act 1958 and various customs notice.
Hamman Bello
Hammad Bello served as Comptroller-General from May 2008 to January 2009. Prior to becoming the CG of customs, he was the Assistant CG of Customs at the Abuja headquarters.
Hamman Kajoli left on untainted records of professionalism, achievements and policy plans that no other CG of customs had done for just ten months as CG.
In 2008 when he became the boss, he banned the Nigeria Customs officials from setting checkpoint outside the border security areas after forming a taskforce team who engage on anti smuggling patrol, that was to be a within 40 kilometers from and out of the nation’s land frontier, and which the new taskforce team would be responsible for patrolling and fighting smugglers into the nation’s.
His tenure as CG helped effectively in blocking revenue leakages and in recovery of lost ones.
Bernard Shaw Nwadialo
Bernad Shaw Nwadialo served as Comptroller-General of Customs from January 2009- August 2009.
He was appointed by Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. Comptroller-Generals Of Nigeria Customs Service
prior to being CGC, he was the deputy Comptroller-General of Custom. He was succeeded by Abdullahi Dikko.
Abdullahi Dikko
Abdullahi Dikko Inde served as Comptroller-General from from August 2009 to August 2015.
He joined the Nigerian Customs Service in 1988 and served in various customs commands. They include Seme Border, Tincan Island Port, Apapa, Imo Command, Kaduna, Badagry Area Command, Investigation and Inspection Headquarters, Abuja Badagry Area Command before he was appointed Controller-General of Nigerian Customs Service on 26 August 2009.
His tenure as the comptroller General of Customs was described as exemplary, as he reportedly played a significant role in the transformation of the Nigerian Customs Service.
Dikko died of an undisclosed illness at an Abuja hospital on February 18, 2021
Hameed Ali
Hameed Ibrahim Ali was appointed as Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Customs Service in 2015, a position he currently still holds.
His is a retired military officer, he previously served as Military Governor of Kaduna State from 1996 to 1998. After retirement, he became Secretary of the Arewa Consultative Forum – a political and cultural association of leaders in Northern Nigeria.
He is a member of the All Progressives Congress. He supported Muhammadu Buhari’s presidential bids in 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019.
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# Comptroller-Generals Of Nigeria Customs Service