Senate walks out Ali for not wearing customs uniform

• Orders him to re-appear ‘properly dressed’
• No law compels me to wear it, CG insists

Without a voice of dissent, the Senate yesterday walked out the embattled Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Hameed Ali, for not wearing the agency’s uniform. The upper chamber accused him of appearing in “improper dressing.”

The lawmakers also directed Ali to re-appear before it in plenary next Wednesday in the proper NCS uniform. But before he was walked out of the chamber, Ali was subjected to a serious rebuke for about 40 minutes.

The customs is a major agency that is tasked with boosting government’s revenue. Its policies have serious consequences on the economy. Thus, synergy between it and the Senate is essential to the improvement of the economy.

Senators said that for not wearing his uniform as the comptroller-general, Ali breached the Customs Act in addition to betraying the confidence which President Muhammadu Buhari reposed in him.

The reprimand was so serious that even Ali Wakil who represents the Bauchi South Senatorial District where the customs boss hails from was more vocal in condemning what he called the grandstanding of the CG. But he appealed to his colleagues to allow him take Ali away and bring him back to the Senate in the right uniform.

Wakil, who is also a retired customs officer, said: “The resolution of the Senate is very explicit and I regret his grandstanding. I saw him on television when he was grandstanding that he was not going to wear the uniform.”

The Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over yesterday’s plenary, had upon the arrival of Ali in the chamber, noted that the second aspect of the resolution of the Senate which invited the CG, the one requiring him to wear uniform, had been breached. He quickly asked Ali to explain the reason for refusing to wear the NCS uniform as demanded by the Senate.

In his explanation, Ali said that the last letter he received from the Senate did not ask him to appear in uniform.

Ekweremadu quickly informed Ali that the original resolution that the Senate passed last week categorically required him to appear in uniform. “So, if you have any reason why you are not wearing the customs uniform, you can explain that to the Senate because our invitation said so.”

Ali responded: “I am not wearing the uniform because there is no law that compels me to wear it.”

At this point, Ekweremadu asked lawmakers who wanted to respond to Ali’s submission to do so.

The Senate Deputy Leader, Bala Na’Allah, who first raised a motion two weeks ago on the need to stop the new policy on vehicle duty, rose to point out the laws that, according to him, make it compulsory for the customs boss to wear the uniform.

“Today, you are in this chamber because the Senate summoned the comptroller-general of customs, and let me refer you to section seven of the Customs and Excise Act. Section 7(2) in particular. It reads: ‘Any proceeding for an offence under this law will be taken in the name of comptroller-general.’ The intendment of this is that it has given you legal power in your capacity as comptroller-general. Then section 8 of the same law says ‘For the purpose of carrying out or enforcing the provisions of the Customs and Excise law, all officers shall have the same powers, authorities, privileges as given by law to police officers…’ I want you to read it.

“And then it came under Section 10 and it says ‘Unlawful assumptions and character of an officer’: don’t forget it is referring to comptroller general of customs to which at all material time you have answered. It says: ‘If for the purpose of obtaining admission to any building or either place or any ship or aircraft or vehicle or of procuring to be done of his own authority or for any other unlawful purpose, any person not being an officer assumes the name, designation or character of an officer, he shall, in addition to any other punishment to which he may have been rendered, be liable to a fine of N1000.’”

He further explained: “The combined effect of this, the power to prosecute is entirely that of the executive and in this democracy, it belongs to the President. But the constitution which we have made and enacted and given to ourselves says the attorney general of the federation has that power, but goes ahead to say certain officers which include comptroller-general have that power and it is statutory power. It means your appointment is statutory.”

Senator Solomon Adeola (APC, Lagos West) said: “To start with, this Senate which is the highest lawmaking body in Nigeria issued a resolution and the content clearly states that the comptroller-general of customs appear before it in its uniform. The resolution still stands and what is happening here today is contrary to the resolution passed by the 109 senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I believe it is only right and proper for the CG to comply with it. As you can see here this afternoon, the people that have followed the CG into this chamber are fully dressed in their attire as members of the NCS. Anybody can dress in mufti and call himself CG. The comptroller-general is a rank and if the rank is not here, I don’t know who is before us.

“His (Ali’s) car carries a signal of the rank of CG, the official aircraft of the customs carries an insignia of the NCS and I believe we should just stick to the resolution of the Senate and asks the CG to comply with it.”

George Sekibo (PDP, Rivers State) moved a motion that Ali should re-appear on Wednesday in the Senate chamber in uniform. Seconded by Barnabas Gemade (APC, Benue State), the motion was unanimously passed.

After votes were taken, Ekweremadu said: “The Senate observed that the CG was not properly dressed and therefore insisted to see him in uniform on Wednesday, 22 of March at 10:00 a.m. prompt.

“Mr. CG, if you look at Section 2 of the Customs Act, it defines the officer and that definition is so comprehensive to include the comptroller-general of customs. I believe there are certain things the officers take for granted, which include wearing uniforms. So, if that is what they should take for granted, I believe, as the number one customs officer, you should lead by example because if you create the impression that you cannot wear a uniform, then every other officer can also say there is no law telling them to wear uniform.

“So, we as leaders must lead by example and example is the best teacher. We need to encourage those we supervise to obey the law, by ourselves obeying the law.

“While we still need to meet with you regarding the policy is that you simply suspended it. The suspension means that it can still come into force. We will like to have a conversation with you on the propriety or otherwise of that policy. So, you have an opportunity to explain to Nigerians through their elected representatives the propriety or otherwise of that. And then you will hear a feedback of Nigerians, also through their representatives. If Nigerians say we don’t like this, of course we are not going to force any policy on them. I think that’s why it is necessary that even after the suspension, we still need to have that conversation with you.”