Letter to new Customs boss

Dear sir, let me start by congratulating you sir on your appointment as Comptroller-General of Customs. It is a well-deserved one and it did not surprise me, considering your track record in the military as a no-nonsense person. President Muhammadu Buhari appointed you because of your capacity, and since the Nigerian Customs Service needs a […]

Dear sir, let me start by congratulating you sir on your appointment as Comptroller-General of Customs. It is a well-deserved one and it did not surprise me, considering your track record in the military as a no-nonsense person. President Muhammadu Buhari appointed you because of your capacity, and since the Nigerian Customs Service needs a major overhaul, I am sure you are there to fix it to the highest standard. As a Nigerian who wants to see his country get better, I saw a need to write this letter to you, as it will serve as my own humble contribution towards the development of this country. I am not a Customs Officer, but I am extremely worried about the way things are going in the service.
As the head of the third-largest revenue generating agency in Nigeria, after Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation and Federal Inland Revenue Service, there is the need for you to address three major areas which if taken into consideration, will make corruption and all forms of irregularities in the customs become history. They are: Social welfare, corruption and indiscipline.
Let me first take the issue of corruption. This has become one of the issues that made Nigeria lose its good image globally. But before I blame the officers, I have to ask about their social welfare. Are they being given a good salary, promoted when due? The answer is no and it is a simple issue that can be tackled. They only rely on salary, with nothing like transport allowance, rent allowance, uniform, hazard, call duty allowance and the like. They are also suffering from poor working conditions compared to other revenue-generating agencies in the country. Also, officers are supposed to be posted using a structure, but for you to get posted a bribe must be given.
Sir, there is also the issue of housing. Many officers are squatting in rented apartments of friends or family, or they pay for expensive accommodation as there’s no provision in the quarters. This is the kind of imbalance in a system that would give birth to corruption and make it thrive even. The issues I’ve listed cannot be exhausted in detail because of space constraints, so I’ll just mention key ones again: Allowances, effective housing scheme, postings, promotions, and others. I have high expectations, sir, I know. But I know that you are a man with sterling qualities who expects the best, so please take my observations into consideration for the benefit of a better and prosperous Nigeria. Thank you.
Tudun Wada wrote in from Kano.