by Dolapo Adelana

The Senate has insisted that the Comptroller General, Nigeria Customs Service, Col. Hameed Ali (retd.) appears before it, The Punch reports.

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Sabi Abdullahi, on Saturday said the upper legislative chamber will not engage in a media war with the Customs CG.

On Thursday, the Senate had asked Ali to appear before it “unfailingly” on Wednesday, adding that the Customs boss would not be admitted into the chamber if he failed to appear in the uniform of the service showing his rank as the DG.

The lawmakers, who were not pleased with the service for defying an order stopping it from implementing its new policy on vehicle duty, resolved that, “We invite the Comptroller General of Customs to appear in plenary and in uniform.”

Responding to the lawmakers on Friday on a breakfast programme of Television Continental on Friday, Ali said he would answer the summons by the Senate but would not appear before the lawmakers in uniform.

He said, “I was not appointed Comptroller General to wear uniform. Does uniform work or the person behind the uniform? If we suspect that smuggled items are taken into your own house, we have the right to cordon off that house and search it. Am I doing my job or not? I think that should worry the National Assembly.”

Reacting to Ali’s statement, the Senate spokesman, said the lawmakers would take the next line of action on Ali based on the events that would play out on Wednesday.

He said, “For now, we have made our statement. Until he comes, it is not a media war; we are not going to engage him in a media war. We have a procedure and since we have invited him, let him come. When he comes and the Senate discusses with him, whatever the outcome reached will be declared to Nigerians.

“One thing I have to state and reiterate is that we stand by Nigerians and we will defend the interests of Nigerians. We do not subscribe to and will never support impunity by any agent of government because we are designed to work for the people and must be seen to be working for the people.”

Also speaking on the matter, Senator Solomon Adeola (Lagos-West) said the Senate’s directive ordering Ali to appear before it in Custom’s uniform was “to protect the organisational integrity and discipline of the institution of the Nigeria Customs Service as well as to protect the interest of the people.”

Adeola, in a statement by his Media Adviser, Mr. Kayode Odunaro, said it was regrettable that as a retired army colonel who should know the importance of uniforms, Ali “wants to demean and undermine the symbolic importance of uniforms, discipline as well as the authority it confers on the agency in its operation as a lawful body”.

He added, “Military and paramilitary uniforms, inclusive of ranks, are part of the symbol of legitimate authority conferred on the wearer to carry out certain duties on behalf of the government. Except in covert operations, an officer in these organisations operating without a uniform could be taken to be performing an illegal duty or, worse, be taken as not representing the institution at all. And as stated on the floor of the Senate in plenary, the Comptroller General is a rank that can only be worm on uniform and not in mufti.”