Inde Dikko Abdullahi: Requiem For A Great Icon



 On February 18, 2021, Alhaji Inde Dikko Abdullahi, the immediate past Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) went the way of all mortals, aged 61. For one who walked and worked closely with the late CGC for several years, my can­did opinion is that Nigeria has just lost one of her greatest assets, one whose quiet but abiding legacies are indisputable in the eyes of those in the know, and I believe, in the eyes of His­tory.

My relationship with Abdullahi Dikko Inde whom unfortunately l now refer to as “Late” started on February 7, 2007 when he took over the man­tle of leadership at the then Seme Command of the Nigeria Customs Ser­vice (NCS) as Area Con­troller. I was the Public Relations Officer of the command. The relation­ship was meant to be that of a staff-boss but it soon metamorphosed into a working relationship that was to blossom and help build bridges and founda­tions for greater impacts at the NCS. Alhaji Dikko was focused, amiable, ac­cessible and left a lasting impression on all who came across him, unique attributes which led to unprecedented strides and accomplishments at the NCS during his time.

Abdulahi’s stint as C-GC was phenomenal, his dreams daunting and his strides so glaring, facts captured in figures and images by a previous pub­lication of mine, Witness to a Revolution: The NCS Under the Leadership of Dikko Inde Abdullahi. His contributions at the NCS in terms of revenue drive, infrastructural de­velopment, staff welfare, digitalization program and other developments are timeless legacies that will no doubt continue to outlive him.


Without a doubt Ab­dullahi was a great ICON whose story should be viewed as that of the tri­umph of the human spir­it. His is the odyssey of a man who overcame gigan­tic odds and who achieved all he set out to do albeit with a strong support sys­tem. It was in this light that a one-time member of the National Assem­bly, Hon. Sabo Moham­med Nakudu described the various accomplish­ments of Abdullahi as a mirror which will contin­ue to hold future leaders accountable.

In life there are leaders and there are leaders but late Abdullahi was a lead­er in a million. He was exceptional, he was a rare archiver, a pleasant man yet a driven revolution­ist, an astounding and passionate accomplisher but above, a God-fearing man.


Born in 1960 to the fam­ily of Inde Usman Abdul­lahi in Musawa Town in Musawa Local Govern­ment Area of Katsina State, the late Abdullahi was known to be an out­standing and diligent child, one clearly marked for greatness. From his primary school education in 1967 at Musawa Prima­ry School to Government College Kaduna in 1974 and the University of Dimitrov Apostle Tshen­ov, Swishtov, Bulgaria, it was clearly the story of a man of focus, innate discipline hence the hallmark of his suc­cess in life. His future strides and excellent contributions to the country through the NCS principally therefore came as no surprise to those who knew him from his humble and younger days. As a mentee, I continue to draw inspiration from his insight and avid com­mitment to the NCS and to fa­therland. For him, in life and in death, it remains all about legacies.

When death therefore came calling in the evening of Thursday February 18, 2021, it was a rude shock to all and sundry that this great icon, “Abdullahi” had to bow to the cold hands of the metaphor called “death.” I am however, consoled in the fact that death is a part of equity that all must travel, and Abdullahi being an uncommon Customs Legend, came, saw and conquered and with the good name associat­ed with him, will defeat death and will live on in the lives of the uncountable whose lives he touched. The mammoth crowd at his funeral prayers (Janaza) on February 19, 2021 after Jumat prayers at the National Mosque, Abuja is a clear evidence of this asser­tion.

The passage of this great ICON therefore is a loss not just to his family, the NCS but to the entire nation. I read the submissions of other Nigeri­ans on the sound foundation of reality and conviction of this great icon. One of them is the piece “Three Battles of Dikko Inde” by Mahmud Jega published in the 21st February 2021 edition of Century Chron­icle. It is a succinct pointer to the points made above espe­cially as regarding the battles he fought and won on the rev­enue generation front, in his high-wired bid to refocus the NCS as a major revenue regen­erator and a major bulwark of the Nigerian economy.


Alhaji’s passing at only 61 is painful but then we are con­soled by the footprints he left. Again, what is life without legacies? These legacies will continually speak for him.

May Aljanah firdaus (Par­adise) be his portion. Rest in Peace, sir.

Musa Omale, Nigeria Customs Ser­vice (NCS), Lagos

Post a Comment

Previous Post Next Post