President Tinubu Asked To Probe Retired Customs Boss, Hameed Ali

Stakeholders in the maritime industry have commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the removal of the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Hameed Ali.

Naija News recalls that Tinubu on Monday retired Ali and replaced him with Wale Adeniyi as the acting DG of Customs.

This was made known in a statement to newsmen by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

Reacting to Ali’s removal, stakeholders have called for his probe for the destruction of trade facilitation in the industry and the economy at large.

They said Ali imposed several anti-trade policies that hindered trade facilitation in the country, while driving investors and cargoes to other neighbouring countries, making the country lose billions of dollars.

Speaking to The Guardian, a former member of the Presidential Committee on Destination Inspection and Ministerial Committee on Fiscal Policy and Import Clearance Procedure, Lucky Amiwero, said Ali’s removal is for the betterment of the maritime industry and the economy.

He advised President Tinubu to avoid making such mistake of political appointment in the industry.

Amiwero urged Tinubu to probe the activities of Ali in his years in the Nigeria Customs Service, noting that a lot of things went wrong.

He said: “Tinubu should probe Ali’s activities in the Nigeria Customs Service because a lot of things went wrong. He destroyed the maritime system. Customs is not a military service, it is a procedural service that has linkage with the World Customs Organisation (WCO). He doesn’t know anything about Customs operations. He came to reform Customs by destroying the entire system. There is need for the reorganisation of customs and probing his activities for the number of years he spent in the service.”

On his part, the National Public Relations Officer of Association of Registered Freight Forwarders of Nigeria (AREFFN), Taiwo Fatomilola, said Ali’s removal is the best thing to happen in Nigeria, especially the economy, importation and the entire maritime industry.

“Removing Ali is the best thing in Nigeria because he has been a curse to the economy and trade facilitation. He doesn’t have a single understanding of how customs operates, he is just a political appointee by the former president Muhammadu Buhari.

“When he was there, he allowed the embattled former Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele to determine what happens in the Customs, the target and talking about benefits.

“For Emefiele to say the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR) is an advisory note, it shouldn’t be. His removal is the best for Nigeria’s economy, importation and for the entire maritime industry,” he said.