Reps Pass Bill to Ban Appointment of Non-officers as Customs Boss
By Lawan Bukar Maigana
The bill for the mandatory appointment of the Controller General of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) among the senior officers of the agency has been passed by the House of Representatives.
The bill was sponsored by the Chairman Committee of the House on Customs, Leke Abejide (APC, Kogi).
The Committee of the Whole house considered the report written on the bill and passed it on Tuesday.
The house said the passage of the bill will end the appointment of non-custom staff to the senior position in the agency, saying the current Customs boss is a retired military officer who was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari.
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Abejide said: “there is a need for legislative input into the appointment of Comptroller General of Customs similar to other organizations like Inspector-General of Police, Nigeria Immigration Service, and the Service Chiefs. He argued that the move is a matter of national security.
“The existing act is obsolete and cannot meet the needs of customs in the digital age. He added that the language used in crafting the law is also obsolete.
“The existing seven percent cost of collection is not sufficient to fund the salaries and benefits of officers, explaining that the four percent FOB is international best practice.
“The bill seeks to eradicate the seven percent cost of collection used to fund the budget of customs. In its place, the bill is seeking four percent of Free on Board for funding of the agency,” he said.
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