In the complex and often challenging landscape of Nigerian public service, where tales of bureaucratic inertia and misconduct frequently dominate the narrative, the story of Dr. Abubakar Dalhatu Zurmi stands as a powerful testament to the transformative power of personal integrity. As the Comptroller of the Nigeria Customs Service for the Kano and Jigawa Area Command, Dr. Zurmi has orchestrated a quiet revolution, not through grand pronouncements, but through a steadfast commitment to principle, accessibility, and unassuming leadership.
His approach is disarmingly simple yet profoundly effective. Eschewing the trappings of office, Dr. Zurmi is known to forgo his official vehicle after hours, instead driving his personal, decades-old Peugeot. His office is often the open air under a shade tree in the command’s premises, a deliberate choice to dismantle bureaucratic barriers and remain directly accessible to the people he serves. “If I sit more in the office,” he explains, “all the people trooping here will find the bureaucracies more cumbersome.”
This ethos of service has yielded tangible, transformative results. Before his tenure, transporters and traders faced an arduous journey, bled dry by a regime of outrageous extortion at numerous illegal checkpoints, with some businesses collapsing under the strain. Dr. Zurmi’s intervention was swift and decisive. He admitted institutional wrongs where necessary, enforced the movement of only legal goods, and staunchly forbade the extortion of transporters. The impact was immediate; lawful trade now flows freely, and genuine businesses are thriving once more.
His integrity is not merely procedural but profoundly personal. Colleagues and petitioners recount instances where he has outright rejected multimillion-naira bribes, publicly rebuking those who offered them. This unwavering ethical stance has earned him the reputation as “the new sheriff in town,” a leader who responds to official correspondence within 24 hours and demands the highest standards from his team.
The results speak for themselves. By systematically blocking revenue leakages, his command now collects in a single quarter what was previously gathered in an entire year, delivering a significant boon to public coffers.
Perhaps the most inspiring part of Dr. Zurmi’s story is his journey. He began his career with the Customs Service from its most foundational level, joining with only O-Level qualifications. Through sheer dedication and an unyielding commitment to self-improvement, he worked through every rank, ultimately earning a Doctorate and attaining the esteemed position of a Ph.D. Comptroller.
As he approaches retirement, Dr. Abubakar Dalhatu Zurmi leaves behind a legacy that transcends revenue figures and operational metrics. He has demonstrated that ethical leadership, grounded in humility and an unwavering moral compass, can indeed restore public trust and ignite meaningful change. He is, in every sense, the kind of leader Nigeria needs.
