Senate insists CG Customs Hameed Ali appear before it unfailingly, in uniform

The Senate has insisted that the Comptroller-General of Nigerian Customs Service, Hameed Ali must appear before it unfailingly in Customs uniform on Wednesday.

Senate reached the decision after it rejected a letter from the Customs CG informing lawmakers about his inability to appear before them on Wednesday 15th March because it clashes with the weekly management meeting of the customs service.

In the letter dated 10th of March, 2017 and read by the Clerk to the Senate, Ali requested that a new date be given to enable him honour the invitation.

The document was signed by Azarema A., Assistant Comptroller General of Customs.

The upper legislative chamber had on the 9th of March, summoned the Customs CG to provide explanation on his planned retrospective policy on import duties on cars across the country.

However, the legislative body turned down the excuse of the Customs CG which they consider to be too lame; insisting that he must show up as scheduled.

The lawmakers were even more slighted by the fact that the Customs CG did not deem it important to write and sign the letter instead of allowing a subordinate in his office reply the Senate.

Efforts by Senate Leader, Ahmed Lawan to pacify his colleagues to oblige the request failed, as he was booed by lawmakers.

He was, however, countered by James Manager (PDP, Delta South) who said the integrity of the hallowed chamber was being tested.

He said: “I think this is an insult of the highest order. The Comptroller General  must appear in uniform tomorrow (today) and anything short of that certainly is not acceptable to me and I want to believe is not acceptable to all the senators and what is not acceptable to all the senators is not acceptable to all Nigerians”.