Senate insists, Customs CG, Hameed Ali must appear Wednesday

The loggerheads between the Senate and Nigeria Customs Service deepened on Tuesday as the Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali wrote to the Senate that he would not be available for the Senate invitation on Wednesday.

The letter which was read by the Senate President, indicated that CG of Customs has a management meeting, hence, he could not honour the invitation to appear before the Senate tomorrow.

The Senate was also angry that the letter was written and signed by a Deputy Comptroller-General, a situation the Senate considered to have undermined their resolution.

Reacting, Senate Leader, Ahmed Lawan, explained that two wrongs cannot make a right, urging the Senate to be considerate in giving the CG another date.

Worried on the consequences, it would have on the legislative arm, Senator James Manager while disagreeing with the Senate Leader, insisted that Customs CG must appear on Wednesday in uniform as earlier resolved.

“Mr. President, Distinguished Colleagues, we must be careful in how government officials respond to our resolutions. I have been here since 2003 and we did a lot to build this institution. CG must appear in uniform tomorrow,” he said.

Upholding the resolutions, Senate President stressed that the resolutions for his appearance on Wednesday stands, adding that there was no way a management meeting of Customs could override the Senate.

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