Customs commander retires from service

The Commander of the Customs Headquarters in Accra, Alhaji Mohammed M.Nasirudeen, was last Friday pulled out of office to symbolically mark the end of his 34 years of dedicated service to the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA). The solemn ceremony evoked emotions from the retiring officer, family and colleagues as he was slowly pulled out by the ropes by senior custom officials.

Described as principled and a man with an unblemished record, Alhaji Nasirudeen joined the then Customs and Excise Department in 1982 and rose through the ranks to the position of Commander of the Custom Division, Headquarters before his compulsory retirement.
Alhaji Nasirudeen hands over the baton to Mr Seidu Iddrisu.

Vacuum

The Commissioner-General of the GRA, Mr George Blankson, said the retirement of Alhaji Nasirudeen had created a vacuum that would be difficult to fill. 

“He is an officer who served with distinction and excellence. Today marks the peak of his career. His unblemished record should be recognised today when he is exiting the service,” he added.

Mr Blankson advised young custom officers to also strive hard to attain similar feats in their respective duties.

Appeal

The commissiner general appealed to retired officers of the authority to share their expertise and rich experience with the GRA to ensure excellence in their operations.

“For those of us still working with the authority, we must look up to these geniuses who worked so hard and have blazed the trail for us to follow. If we have come this far, it is because of people like Alhaji Nasirudeen, who have worked to bring us this far,” he acknowledged.

On the repositioning of the Custom Division of the GRA, Mr Blankson said there were plans to turn the Customs Training School at Kpetoe in the Volta Region into a full-fledged university to serve the West African sub-region.

Boundless

The Commissioner of the Customs Division of the GRA, John Vianney, described Alhaji Nasirudeen’s performance as “boundless and suggest how we must all work hard to attain the highest values in professionalism, bringing to bear all the training, skills and experiences to fulfilment of performance standards.”

Response

Alhaji Nasirudeen, who served at 13 different posts across the country, said the experiences gained prepared him to appreciate his position.

He urged those in service to remain ambassadors for the division, saying that “a good image is a lasting legacy.”