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The gale of dismissals currently taking place in the country prompted the long-embattled Comptroller-General, CG of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, Mr. Abdullahi Inde Dikko, to throw in the towel, The Difference checks have revealed.
Following this development, President Muhammadu Buhari, whose office had denied receipt of the resignation of the CG when the story first broke last week, has now formally accepted the notice of resignation.
With the acceptance, Abdullahi is expected to proceed on his voluntary retirement from Tuesday, August 18.
Buhari’s approval of Abdullahi’s request was dated August 14 and personally signed by the President.
He thanked the NCS boss for his services to the county in the last six years.
The President’s letter was titled “Voluntary retirement from the Nigeria Customs Service.”
The approval read, “Dear, Alhaji D.I. Abdullahi. I write to acknowledge the receipt of your letter Ref. No. NCS/ADM/HQ/P. 35802 of 3rd August, 2015 conveying your decision to voluntarily retire from the Nigeria Customs Service with effect from Tuesday, 18th August, 2015.
“I note with appreciation your services to this nation, especially as the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service in the last six (6) years.
“Accordingly, I hereby approve your voluntary retirement from the Nigeria Customs Service with effect from 18th August 2015. I wish you the very best in your future endeavours.
“Yours sincerely, Muhammadu Buhari.”
Abdullahi had, in his letter to the President, thanked him for the confidence and trust reposed on him since he (Buhari) was inaugurated on May 29.
He said by August 18, he would be six years in office as the Comptroller-General of the NCS.
Meanwhile, Dikko Abdullahi has said that he is leaving behind a transparent system and that he has nothing to fear.
Abdullahi said he was voluntarily leaving office, partly to avoid being fired by President Buhari, and also to allow the younger generation take over.
“The time I’m leaving is the time I feel those young ones that have developed the software can come up and manage the software,” he told journalists Monday after meeting the president.
“So that is basically the reason and I’m sending out this signal to all those who have stayed put.
“Don’t stay until you are asked you to go. When you feel you have done so much and you believe in the system you have built, then why do you stay? Why don’t you be an umpire? Leave, be by the side and watch and advise,” he said.
Abdullahi left after putting in six years as the head of Customs, one of Nigeria’s main revenue sources besides oil and gas.
The Buhari administration has replaced the leadership of critical government offices, and last week, as part of wider reforms, announced an extensive audit of all revenue generating agencies of government.
Abdullahi wrote to the president on August 3 seeking permission to stand down. Mr. Buhari approved his resignation request 11 days later.
Fielding questions from journalists after meeting the president on Monday, the former Customs boss said under his watch revenue appreciated by 20 percent.
“Revenue appreciated by 20 percent from when I took over and the officers that did the work are still around and I think that the NCS – I stand to be corrected- is the only service that is fully automated in the system of operation,” he said, saying it is time for the younger generation who built the automated systems to take over. We have no fear,” he added.
He said the only way the Customs service can move forward is to give chance to the younger generation.
It is not clear if the tenure of the departed CG will be probed as is the case with erstwhile high-fliers in the Goodluck Jonathan era.
Analysts also wager that had President Jonathan won the election, the controversial Dikko, who had reportedly over-stayed his tenure in office in the first place would not have resigned from office.
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