…Says, President Buhari Mandated Me To Reform, Increase Customs Revenue
The new Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (rtd) has said he was given a clear mandate by President Muhammadu Buhari to reform the Nigeria Customs Service and ensure an increased revenue collection.

Ali while speaking at his maiden meeting with management and staff of the service restated his mandate to undertake reforms and re-structure the service to generate more revenue.

While charging the customs management to work with him to deliver on the president’s mandate, he said: “The mandate he has given me are three basic things: go to customs, reform customs, restructure customs and increase the revenue generation, simple. I don’t think that is ambiguous, I don’t think that is cumbersome. It is precise and I believe that is what all of you are here to do.”

He pleaded with the management not to see him as a stranger in the customs family, noting that his mission in customs is to help build and strengthen the service.

According to a statement yesterday by the public relations officer of the service, Wale Adeniyi, Ali solicited the support and loyalty of all officers and men in the collective effort to make Nigeria customs a better service.

Earlier, the Deputy Comptroller General covering duties for the CGC, John Atte, while handing over, gave the new CGC a brief history of the service and assured him of unquestionable loyalty of officers and men to work towards suppression of smuggling, and increase revenue collection in the interest of the nation.

Ali who was appointed Comptroller-General of Customs on 27th August, 2015 was born on 15th January 1955 in Dass local government of Bauchi State.

He attended Nigeria Defence Academy Kaduna, between 1974-1977, and the Sam Houston State University, Huntsville Texas USA.

Col. Ali had a distinguished career in the Nigerian army, during which he served as Military Administrator Kaduna State between 1996-1998 and Colonel Training TRADOC, Minna in 1998.