After effects of the recent dismissal and suspension of both junior and senior officers at the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) may be taking another dimension as surviving officers have called on the Comptroller General, Hamed Ali to improve their welfare package in order to enhance their efficiency and reduce corruption.
Some of them who spoke to our correspondent weekend said the Customs boss seems to have reneged on his promise to increase the remuneration and improve welfare of his officers on assumption of office last year as what we get now is dismissal and suspension.
Many of them who spoke on grounds of anonymity on telephone concurred that the present leadership in NCS does not show they are interested in the welfare of officers especially those posted to border areas to patrol creeks.
They maintained that they are not ready to use their monthly take home pay to fuel official patrol vans and that is why they are sometimes tempted to look the other way for funding.
One of the most aggrieved senior officers voiced in anger saying “The CG promised to increase our welfare when he came in but till today nothing has happened. There are some monies we had about seven month ago was released for our bonuses and allowances to be paid but till today we did not hear anything about it again. 10 kobo has not been increase to our salary and none of our allowances has been paid.
“There is suppose to be money for maintenance of vehicles but we use our money to fuel and maintain our patrol vehicles while on official patrol. This is where the name corruption comes in.
“When your salary is not enough to cater for you and your family, you have to go extra miles to see how you will squeeze out money somewhere. How would you remit the money that you are supposed to remit to the federal government when you are not getting enough?
“If we are well paid, you just do your job and remit government revenue. Nobody will say you are corrupt. That is the problem we are facing.
