Customs officers declaration of assets, level of compliance still low – CCB

By Odunewu Segun

The Code of Conduct Bureau has said that compliance with the directive of the Comptroller-General of Customs over asset declaration by officers and men of the NCS is still low.

Head of Press and Protocol Unit of CCB, Mrs. Iyabo Akinwale said an insignificant number of Customs’ men had visited the Bureau to obtain the form. “For Customs, the response has been low. They have only been coming to us in Abuja one by one,” Akinwale said.

She however explained that what the Customs authorities ought to have done to ensure a full compliance was to have sent the “nominal rolls” of its staff to the CCB so that it could provide the adequate number of forms.

The Comptroller-General of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Hameed Ali had on January 15 ordered its personnel to declare their assets within two weeks.

When contacted on the number of officers that had complied with the directive, the Public Relations Officer, NCS, Deputy Comptroller Wale Adeniyi, said “They (customs officers) don’t declare their assets in customs. It is done at the Code of Conduct Bureau. They pick the forms and submit at the bureau and it is only there that you can get the number of officers that have complied.

“The directive has been issued by the CG and the rest is left for the CCB to perform their duties. So the Code of Conduct is where you will get the level of compliance.”

Sources at the Customs headquarters, Abuja said many officers of the service had not filled the assets declaration form, more than a week after the order was issued.

The source, which could not specify the number of officers that had complied with the directives, said, “Most of us are going to do it this week. We have not been given the form.”