Security agencies aid smuggling — Dikko

Comptroller-General of Nigeria Customs Service ,AlhajiDikkoAbdullahi came hard on the security agencies, especially those stationed at the nation’s borders, for their complicity in the unabated smuggling activities across the Nigerian borders.

Dikko, who was speaking with the textile manufacturers in Abuja, observed that the huge seizure of textile materials worth about N480billion made by the Customs operative at Kano, was a clear demonstration of the illicit involvement of security agencies in the economic sabotage.

He told the bewildered manufacturers of the existence of bad eggs in the security agencies whom he accused of sabotaging the anti-smuggling efforts of government.

Dikko however promised to support the textile manufacturing sector in the fight against smuggling so that they would be in a position to generate jobs, adding that he would take a second look at a recent directive by the federal government that Africa Prints should be removed from the Import Infrastructure list, a decision he disclosed Customs was not consulted.

 “Suddenly, African Print was just being removed from the import infrastructure list. But I stand before you to say that the procedure that was followed was illegal because for any item that is going to be removed, added or subtracted from tariff must have to pass through tariff technical committee. But we only saw a circular suddenly that African Print is being removed from the Import Prohibition list.”

 “I am not aware that the technical committee has sat because technically if the technical committee had sat to amend it, my officers should be there-there’s a desk officer who would go there but I have not been briefed about it.

“So basically, we have to look at it and find out where exactly has it originated from and has it had the blessing of Mr. President, does it have the blessing of the Federal Executive Council or somewhere something went below.”

”If we have to fight for a cause, if we have to fight for a legitimate right, we have to remove fear and we have to go to the authority that is concerned and tell the authority the truth. Things are not done in other countries like this”, the Customs helmsman declared.

He assured the textiles industry stakeholders of both the Government and Customs Service support,adding that the sector has been identified as a traditional heavy employers of labour.

“I want to assure members of the Organised Private Sector (OPS) in any way, I am not under stress or pressure, I am doing my duty diligently. I am sure that you know that the government of today is a government of rule of law, it’s a government that has a passion for the development of this country.

“We have seen what is going on in Kano. That is a total failure of government agencies to undertake their statutory functions as government agencies.

” We have consumer protection agency, we have the Standards Organisation, we have the Immigration and we have the Customs.

”And among these agencies, I will not stand here and tell you lies–we have bad eggs, the people who are doing this business together with these people (smugglers). And unless we put ourselves together and fight the evaders and unscrupulous elements among our society- 98 per cent of crime detection in the world are done through information.

“You can call a person and send him to do a particular job. If you don’t monitor through the information of his own activities, then get ready for disappointment. And that’s where we find ourselves”, he indicated further, highlighting a need for concerted efforts by all stakeholders to curtail the adverse impact of economic saboteurs within and outside the country, particularly from those who lack a patriotic interest in their being.