The President’s approval letter titled “Voluntary retirement from the Nigeria Customs Service” read, “Dear, Alhaji D.I. Abdullahi”.
Advertisement
When The Guardian visited the Customs headquarters, it was observed that the atmosphere was tense with heightened security, as worry could be seen on the faces of the officers, right from the main entrance to the offices within the building housing the country’s third revenue earner.
“And the only way the Nigeria Customs Service can move forward, I feel personally is my making a sacrifice“.
With the acceptance, Abdullahi is expected to proceed on his voluntary retirement from Tuesday, August 18.
The Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Customs Service, Dikko Abdullahi, who is leaving his post on Tuesday, August 18, says he is leaving behind a transparent system and that he has nothing to fear.
In an interview with State House correspondents after a brief meeting with Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Abdullahi said he was bowing out of the service when the ovation is loudest. Though he has reportedly cleared the air over this, it seems it is only a temporary relief, as the accusers are unrelenting and seeking instrumentality of the law to make him pay for what they described as his “illicit activities””.
As a fitting climax to his 27-year career at the Customs, he unveiled a three-story imposing hospital build by the Nigeria Customs Service to improve the welfare of its staff and Nigerians living around the area on Tuesday, August 18.
“The Customs have done very well in the last few years, but the expectations are high that you should do even better”.
President Buhari has not named Abdullahi’s successor at the time of filing this report.
Recalling that on assumption of office, he had a articulated six-point agenda which he vigorously pursued.
In his resignation letter, Abdullahi said he had spent six years in service and would like to give way for others.
His decision to embark on voluntary retirement, he stated, was based on the need to allow young bloods to takeover the mantle of leadership of the Service in order to sustain and improve on his legacy.
Advertisement
According to him, the service’s average monthly collection in 2009 when he took over was about N29 billion, adding that the average monthly collection now stood between N90 billion and N100 billion.
