Customs CG dares Senate, I will not appear as requested

Comptroller-General of Nigeria Customs Service (NIS), Rtd Colonel Hammed Ali has dared the Senate saying he can not appear on the day Senators requested insisting that he has a routine management meeting.

While Ali told the Senate  that he cannot appear before the lawmakers because the summon coincides with the routine Management meeting of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, the Senators are insisting that he must come before them in complete Uniform. The Senate has also asked the NCS boss to stop insulting the upper Chambers as an Institution.

It will be recalled that based on planned implementation of new import duty policy on Vehicles especially old ones, the Senate last week Thursday following a motion by Senator Dino Melaye (APC Kogi West), on the imminent problems the planned policy portend to ordinary Nigerians, had summoned the Customs Boss to appear before it in his Uniform depicting the rank of a Comptroller-General.

But in a letter to the Senators by the Customs boss and signed on his behalf by an Assistant Comptroller –General Headquarters, Azarema Abubakar, which was addressed to the Clerk of the Senate, Nelson Ayewoh, he however requested for a postponement of his appearance before the Senate.

According to Ali, the postponement became imperative because of the internal management meeting of the Customs Service which he must attend. The letter reads: “I am directed to acknowledge the receipt of your letter number Nass/CS/8S/R/09/29 of 9th March, 2017 on the above subject matter.
“I am further directed to inform you that the date given to the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) Wednesday 15th, March 2017 to brief the senate in plenary on the retrospective duty payment of vehicles in Nigeria as coincided with the fortnight meeting of the NCS management.

“Consequently, the comptroller general is humbly requesting for a new date from the distinguished senate”.

Not happy with the CG’s excuse as contained in the letter, the Senate President, Bukola Saraki asked Senators to comment on it.