Customs officers must declare their assets annually – Customs boss 

Comptroller-General, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Hameed Ali, has declared that all officers of the agency would declare their assets every year.

Ali stated this during a courtesy visit by the members of the Board of Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), led by its Chairman, Prof. Mohammed Isah in Abuja.

Why it matters: Ali stated that the declaration of assets was compulsory for the officers, to lead by example, as not only were they part of the enforcers of the nation’s laws but also because of their involvement in financial transactions.

“The law that governs Nigeria Customs Service and bankers require that we declare our assets every year, because of the nature of the type of job we do. This is because of our involvement in financial transactions; so, we must lead by example as there must be checks and balances.

“The continuous filling of this form will not only keep officers in check but will make them have confidence that what they are doing in their life is well-programmed and structured. 

“We will showcase ourselves, and we will lead by example by enforcing this, starting from this year. We will need your cooperation to ensure that whatever we declare is properly scrutinised, and we want to assure you that we will support you in achieving your mandate,” Ali said.

[READ MORE: Nigeria Customs Service seizes contraband worth N67 million)

The Customs boss reiterated his commitment to ensuring every officer in the service follows the ethical codes. He said that the asset declaration directive would start from the recruitment of new officers before it works its way to the old ones.

He charged the Bureau to create awareness by enlightening its officers on the benefits of declaring their assets and procedures for filling the forms.

Meanwhile, the CCB Chairman also spoke on the enforcement of the code of conduct, stating that the bureau needed the assistance of the NCS as it was its partner in the fight against corruption.