Following the voluntary retirement of five Deputy Comptrollers-General of the Nigerian Customs Service, NCS, and 35 other officers last week, there are indications that another 400 officers will soon leave the service for various reasons ranging from corruption, insubordination, indiscipline to absenteeism.
Vanguard gathered that some of these officers refused to report at their new postings and instead obtained notes from legislators, who lobbied customs management to stop such re-deployment.Also, some of the officers pencilled down for next round of retirement were said to have flouted re-deployment directives as well as influenced their promotion even when they were not due to be promoted.
Industry executives said the sudden retirement of Deputy Comptrollers–General appears unsettling as the development had brought public attention to happenings NCS.
Stakeholders believed that though the retirements will create room for Customs Comptrollers who have been idle for some sometime to be posted or deployed to commands, it would also give rise for Deputy Comptrollers to be promoted as some of them had been on same rank for a long time.
The alleged voluntary retirement of five Deputy Comptrollers-General is unprecedented in the history of the service.
The retirement letter read in part: “We, the under listed officers currently on the rank of Deputy Comptroller-General met today, October 29, 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 thank the President for giving us the opportunity to serve our great nation.”
Spokesman of the service, Mr. Adewale Adeniyi, a Deputy Comptroller, denied knowledge of any government reports on the affected officers.
When Vanguard contacted him he said: “I do not know what you are talking about.”
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