Dr. Fred Ajuzie is a frontline freight forwarder in the nation’s maritime sector. In this interview, he lays his mind bare on the smuggling activities that are destroying Nigeria’s economy
You complained about numerous intervention teams in Customs under Ali regime. What is actually wrong with them?
About the compliance Seat, as a true stakeholder the incoming administration should look into it. There is Query and Amendment Seat, there is DC Revenue, there is Valuation, I think those seats are enough to do what the Compliance Seat is doing and to monitor whatever you want to monitor. The Compliance Seats are making customs job not to move forward because they’re tasking people much money. The Compliance Seats are victimising people and they have their customers, there’s a lot of compromise, and if you are not their customer they victimise you and your business would not flow again.
What would you say about their ability to combat smuggling?
Ali knows where CBs are coming from but he refused to direct officers to go there and arrest them. CBs are coming from all the borders. The people carrying outright CB, okirika, shoes, handbags, they’re carrying them through the borders.
What are the implications on security?
Somebody that brings in sealed items from the border, does he pay his duty? Those carrying good from the ports pay duty but you cannot pay duty on those smuggled items from the borders. They pretend they’re carrying second hand clothes and rice, but some may be carrying arms. That was the reason why the borders were closed but now the borders are open, smugglers and their accomplices are feeding fat on the nation and Ali is pretending that nothing is going on at the borders. Where are all these contrabands coming from?
Let the government go and set up a brand new task force to look into the activities of smugglers at the borders. This is why Ali set up Customs Police to look into the activities of customs officers, but the Customs Police came and derailed and started blending into the system without doing the job of the Customs Police. Customs Police is supposed to checkmate the activities of officers that are conniving with smugglers to rob government of revenue and worsening the security issues.
Every one of us should act as security agent to the nation that is why I’m releasing this information even though it affects my personal business. A man at my age-I’m above 60 years and I have done this clearing business for over 33 years-I have nothing to lose if I say things as they are. I won’t say I will not tell the Federal Government the truth so that it cannot spoil my business; therefore who will say the truth? My concern is you’re there as the CGC and smugglers are smuggling different items-harmful items-straight into the country every week through the borders and no significant arrests are made.
What advice will you give to the incoming president and the incoming CGC on how to police the borders?
The president that is coming-Bola Tinubu-is a wise man. I am happy he’s the one to take over the responsibility of the whole nation. The next Comptroller General of Customs will come probably, from the Yoruba land because the northerners have taken their turn-Aliyu Mustapha, Buba Gyang, Bello Ahmed, Nwadialor, Dikko and now Ali-Dikko took six years, Ali has taken eight years. So the next CGC automatically will be coming from the Yoruba land. I don’t know who is the person but he must be a serving officer. The new CEMA has even spelt it out from the rank of ACG and above. If a serving officer is to be appointed as the next CGC, he should know what to do.
First and foremost, the Ali “Strike Force Team” should be struck out. I don’t know whether Ali understands the meaning of Strike Force. Let him go ask the army what is the meaning of Strike Force. Strike Force responsibility is to come in whenever there is an issue to resolve it and go back to their commands. Now Ali’s Strike Force is a permanent seat where officers are lobbying to go and serve in. There shouldn’t be anything like permanent Strike Force because you’re enriching people’s private pockets. Let the new CGC strike off Customs Police and Strike Force. We know many of these officers, we know where they live, we know their projects. They’re all living in posh houses they built in Lekki, Victoria Island, choice houses that cost more than N80 million to N120 million-and these are people that are on the salary of N400,000, and we are hiding these things, everybody knows about it. Don’t you see how arrogant these officers are? Even the young officers. Stakeholders are not happy.
