IT was Decree 7 of 1970 that gave additional powers to the board of the Nigeria Customs. On August 29, 1975, the Chairman of the Board of Customs and Excise, Mr. Henry Duke was retired by General Murtala Muhammed, GCFR, along with his two deputies, Mr. E. U. Emoren and Alhaji I. Halidu, the preventive commander.

AT present the Nigeria Customs Service is run by the comptroller-general who oversees the work of six deputy comptroller generals in the following departments: Corporate Support Services; Tariff and Trade; Enforcement, Investigation, and Inspection; Modernization, Research and Economic Relations; Excise, Industrial Incentives and Free Trade Zone; and Human Resource Development.

OF all the chief executives of the Nigerian Customs Service to date, none has been more powerful than Colonel Hameed Ibrahim Alli (retd.), the sixty-four year old post graduate criminologist, from Dass Local Government Area of Bauchi State.

HE was very close to three of my friends at that time – Kayode Osifeso of the Daily Times, Richard Amayo of The Nigerian Observer and Alhaji Adeola Bashiru alias Asiriabo also of The Nigerian Observer. They spoke highly of him then and of his hard work.

ON the former governor of Lagos State, Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the public orator, Professor E. Smaranda Olarinde, Acting Vice Chancellor of the university said: “Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu remains Nigeria’s most relentless fighter for democracy, justice and the rule of law.