FORMER NAGAFF PRESIDENT, DR EUGENE NWEKE URGED CUSTOMS CGC TO PUBLISH NAMES OF THE 2,000 CORRUPT OFFICIALS CLAIMED TO HAVE SACKED
The former National President of National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Dr Eugene Nweke has urged the Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Service, Col Hameed Ali (Rtd) to publish names of the 2,000 corrupt officials which the CG claimed to have sacked.
Col. Ali had during s the weekly ministerial briefing Thursday, disclosed that his management has laid off and prosecuted over 2,000 of its officers found to have compromised the system in the last seven years.
Col Ali further cautioned against consumption of imported foreign rice which he said is dangerous to human health.
The Customs boss explained that the imported rice are preserved with chemical and has a short life span and for this reason, customs officers engage in regular seizures of these items from the markets to safe guard the health of Nigerians.
However, maritime industry stakeholders are in doubt of the figures so far reeled out by the customs boss, even as some has described his comments as a fat lie.
In a statement issued in Lagos on Friday, the former NAGAFF President, failure of the customs CG to announce the names of the sacked officers means that customs is aiding and abetting the corruption in the service.
He said “Mr CGC sir, please publish names of the sacked officers, especially for the consumption of critical stake holders within our international frontiers, this will guide against further conspiracies in cargo clearance operations.
“Ideally, such sacked corrupt officers should be marked as serious ‘threat to Customs ports’, already characterised by name dropping.
Official announcement should be squared so as not to be seen to be subtly ‘aiding and abetting’ by design.
On the consumption of imported foreign rice which the CGC said is dangerous to human health, the same seized foreign rice is distributed to IDP camps and the needy, particularly those affected by crisis after recertification by the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC)
In his reaction to this, the former NAGAFF said “This is indeed commendable, however, the CGC is encouraged to make public the recertification for human consumption processes by the NAFDAC, and equally make public the scene of mass destruction of dangerous rice, this will assuage public apathy and general suspicious surrounding rice seizures and it’s recirculation”
