In defence of CG Dikko

While analysing the deluge of reactions opposing the appointment, one will come to the painful conclusion that the entire hullabaloo is motivated by politics and other selfish considerations, as evident by the absolute ignorance of the issues involved in such appointment. For example, writing in Weekly Trust of August 9, 2009, one Abubakar G. Umar […]

While analysing the deluge of reactions opposing the appointment, one will come to the painful conclusion that the entire hullabaloo is motivated by politics and other selfish considerations, as evident by the absolute ignorance of the issues involved in such appointment.

For example, writing in Weekly Trust of August 9, 2009, one Abubakar G. Umar exhibited the highest level of ignorance and succeeded in exposing what truly he is, a sycophant desperate to show his loyalty to his master at all cost.

Umar’s attempt to portray the appointment of Dikko as CG as an attempt to frustrate the President’s 7-point agenda is nothing other than standing logic on its head, for how can Yar’Adua make an appointment that will frustrate what is dear to him and the anchor of his administration?

In his efforts to by all means discredit the appointment of Dikko, Umar quoted an unnamed source that told him that three names were initially sent to Mr. President from which he was to pick one.

According to his source, of the three, Dikko’s was never among them. “There was initial assumption that his name was smuggled in at the instance of the Ministry of Finance, the supervising ministry of the NCS. Latest information, however, alleged that this was done by a very top official outside the ministry but very close to power’’.

The above not only exposed the contradictions and ignorance of the writer on the procedure of the appointment of CG to the Customs, but pointed to the skewed information in order to attract the sympathy of gullible Nigerians for his masters.

For the record, the Minister of Finance is the Chairman of the Board of Nigerian Custom Service that is saddled with the responsibility of the appointment, discipline, recruitment and dismissal in the service, and by extension the ministry of finance is the supervising ministry for the Customs Service.

The same finance minister, who is being accused of `smuggling Dikko’s name’, is the same person that statutorily present the names of those pencilled down for the appointment to the President. So, the question which answer was not provided by our `investigative journalist’ is who and who were on that list before Dikko’s was smuggled in.

The argument advanced by  Umar and his likes that Dikko was elevated over and above his seniors does not hold water because of a precedent competency factor and the need to have a secure tenure for the leadership of the service.

It is a common knowledge that no Deputy Comptroller General (DCG) has ever become a Comptroller General of Customs as all the CGCs were picked from the ACG cadre, with the exception of the immediate past CG, Benard-Shaw Nwadialo, who was appointed barely eight months after his promotion to DCG.

The competence of Dikko and some of his colleagues came to the fore in 2004 when the Presidential Implementation Committee on the Nigeria Customs Service Reform received a letter from the then CG, Buba Gyang recommending some officers of relatively junior rank for promotion to the ranks of comptrollers. Among them was Dikko.

Based on this recommendation by Gyang, it was not difficult for the committee to identified Dikko as one of the deserving officers to be promoted for wherever he served, Dikko left men and women of the service wondering who would lead the team as effectively as he did.

Appointed a member of the ports decongestion committee in 1994, Dikko excelled in the assignment and his glaring luminosity easily made him the unanimous choice when in 2001 the service needed someone to lead in opening the Phase II and III of the Kirikiri Lighter Terminal to ease congestion in the existing terminals. It is on record that Dikko is one of rare customs officers who are passionate about injecting positive changes in the Customs.

His tenure as Comptroller of Seme border command of the Customs Service has remained the most outstanding till date, for he not only surpassed the revenue target given to him, Dikko also brought sanity at the command regarded as the hub of customs activities.

With his intimidating track record of experience, competence, leadership qualities and other enviable achievements under his belt, Dikko has all it takes to reform the Customs. He has many more years to serve his full tenure as Comptroller-General than his predecessors who had short tenures because their retirement ages were almost due when they were appointed.

Besides, unlike his predecessors, Dikko will have enough time to chart a new course and vision that will lead the Customs Service to a better performance rating and respect to the service. Short tenures carry the risk of making the holders of office more desperate to serve narrow interest rather than working for the betterment of the service.

Viewed from whatever angle, the appointment of Dikko was made primarily for the interest of the service and the nation as even his critics, till date, have not doubted his competence for the job.

Isa wrote in from Jabi, Abuja