League of Maritime Editors Push for Customs Reforms, Security of Tenure

League of Maritime Editors Push for Customs Reforms, Security of Tenure

By prince Benson Davies

The League of Maritime Editors has urged the Federal Government to grant autonomy to the Nigeria Customs Service and introduce security of tenure for the Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC) and other top officials. This call is part of a broader set of reforms aimed at enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of the customs service. The editors believe that these reforms will help to improve revenue collection, reduce corruption, and promote economic growth.

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) in 2023 repealed the Customs and Excise Management Act(CEMA), paving way for reforms which centered on modernisation of its operations to be in line with global standards and best practices.
NCS Act 2023 which birthed in place of CEMA no doubt, brought about positive changes leading to the current excellent performance of the leadership, officers and men of the Customs Service.
But there appears to be a missing link in the 2023 Customs Act amendment.
Decades of clamour for the autonomy of the Service, and indeed, the specific tenure of appointees in the management cadre of the Service, including the Comptroller-General of the Service, Deputy Comptroller-General and Assistant Comptroller Generals was left out.
The current scenario is that the tenure of these leaders is not stated, a development in which they simply retire on attaining 35 years in Service or 60 years of age. It does not matter whether they spend six months in office, as they are compelled to bow out irrespective of what developmental programmes they have at hand.
The League of Maritime Editors sees this as an aberration and calls on the Federal Government, specifically the National Assembly, to as a matter of urgency, consider an urgent amendment to this aspect of the Customs Act.
Incidentally, the House of Representatives Committee on Customs and Excise had indicated planning an amendment of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023, and we see this as an opportunity to address this lacuna.
Chairman of the Committee, Honourabke Leke Abejide during a recent visit to the Lagos ports pointed this out, promising that part of the amendment would be to ensure a four year statutory tenure for any serving Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC).
This, we welcome, and call on the Federal Government, including the lawmakers to expedite action on the amendment to ensure a sustainable leadership plan for the Service.
Abeide had expressed regret that the 2023 Nigeria Customs Service Act failed to stipulate this in its provisions.
Although the view of the Legal Adviser of the House Committee during the visit was that the civil service rule supersedes tenure for the Customs CG, the League is of the view that this argument does not hold water for obvious reasons.
The House Committee, in its reform should be reminded that the Central Bank Governor and the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) are all government appointees whose stay in office are tenured.
As a matter of fact, there are other agencies with such tenure, including the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) who enjoys a tenure of five years and can do a maximum of two tenures.
We, therefore, call on the Federal Government to consider the Customs Act amendment with the provisions for the position of the CGC to be tenured either for four years or five years, with a single tenure, at worse scenario.

With such time, the CGC on assuming office would be able to plan development efforts, execute some of them before leaving office, while mentoring successors for sustainable management.