By: Joy Odor/Kaduna
The Comptroller-General of Nigeria Customs Service, Retired Colonel Hamid Alid has warned the newly promoted officers and men of under ranks to desist from lobbying to be posting to areas they will make money rather than work.
Retired Alid who was represented by the Assistant-General Comptroller of Customs of Zone B comprising Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, Jigawa, Kebbi and Zamfara States, Mr. Udo-Aka Emmanuel stated this in his welcome address at the Decoration of the Newly Promoted Senior Officers in Kaduna Wednesday.
He told the officers and men who were among the 1, 977 promoted officers across the Federation to be ready to work anywhere in the country for the progress of the management of Customs.
The Comptroller-General reminded them that promotion comes with increase responsibility, adding that it is unfortunate people of the 21st century who occupy offices, do not know their responsibility.
“We are here to celebrate some of us. By the hand of the Almighty, out of the 1, 977 promotions, 36 are Comptrollers spread across the Federation, Kaduna State was able to get 7 Comptrollers and other ranks and we are here to decorate them.
“l am here on behalf of the Comptroller-General of Customs and the management of the Nigerian Customs, I have been authorized and directed to decorate you accordingly.
“So, I want to express my gratitude to God first and to all sitting here for the tremendous job that you have done and collectively that we have done that warranted this occasion.
“Be as it may, we still know that some of our colleagues may not be happy today, the reason being because they also sat for the same exams and were not given but in my own religious, God said promotion come from God.
“But the alleviation also comes with increase responsibility, it is unfortunate that people of the 21st century, who occupy offices, do not know what to do, we do not accept that from you because you are all trained officers and old officers in the service” Alid stressed.
Retired Colonel Alid was of the opinion that gone are those days when leaders will sit or going to meet different commandants to change their posting to where they will not work, saying there is no such thing now.
According to him, Customs will not accepts such from the officers, saying this is because they are all trained officers and should be able to bring to bear to the service and to the system the experiences they have gathered over the years and urged them not to disappoint the management.
“And so management expects that, now that you have been promoted, you should be able to bring to bear to the service and to the system the experiences that you have gathered over the years and we want to believe that you will not disappoint yourselves, and the management.
“I also want to add that for the fact that God have alleviated you, l know that you are the one that wrote the exams but if you did not have the health, you would have not written the exams. So He gave you good health and enables you to write the exam.
“The fact that you have been alleviated and promoted, it is not for you to carry shoulder but to be a servant, to come down to serve, you will serve your country, you will serve the service and you will serve the people you are working with.
“One of the greatest lessons in life we shall always remember is that to be a good leader, you must also be a good servant. When God gives you anything, is not for you to fluent it, it give it to you so that you can be a blessings to others.
The Comptroller-General said as Area Comptrollers, they will be given an office with about 500 officers with questionable characters, different religion and backgrounds to deal and advised them to have patient and understand to be able to decode the flow of information which will help them to work in their area of resposibility.
Retired Colonel Alid hoped that the newly promoted officers will bring in their best into the system, pointing out that there is room for redundant people or will be show the way out.
“As comptrollers, you will be given an office, become Area Comptroller which you will have about 500 officers to deal with in your command, people with different questionable character, different religion and backgrounds, how will you deal with them if you do not have patient and understand the flow of information which will help you in whatever you doing.
“Gone are the days when you will sit or meeting commandants to change your posting to where you will make money because there is no such thing now” he said.
