News
Go, Come Back In Customs Uniform, Senate Tells Ali
As the seemingly ego battle between the Nigerian Senate and the Comptroller General of Nigerian Customs Service Col. Hammed Ali (rtd) rages , the Senate yesterday ordered the CG to leave the Chambers over his refusal to appear before the Senate in Customs Uniform.
The order to leave and come back ‘properly dressed came alongside verbal trashing and lectures on obedience from the Senators who took turns to address the.CG .
Recall that the Senate had summoned the CG of Customs to appear in chambers last Wednesday in full customs uniforms indicating clearly his ranks, to defend the new policy of the agency regarding vehicle duty.
Recall also that the Cusoms boss wrote the Senate indicating that he would not be able to honour the invitation on Wednesday because he was to chair the NCS management meeting .
Though the Senate insisted on the date, Col Ali did not appear and Senate had to issue warrant of arrest and his compulsory appearance.
Customs CG, Ali who appeared in white Caftan with cap to match having been ushered into the Chambers by the Special Assistant on National Assembly (Senate) , Senator Eta Enang was quickly reminded of the resolution that he was to appear in uniform.
Reacting to this insistence by the senate that the CG customs said there was no law compelling him to wear uniform, particularly as a former Military officer, adding that car import duties policy has also been suspended for now.
His words “Mr. President, Distinguished Senators, I received the letter to appear before you in Uniform, but I have seen from the point of law, that am not bound to wear Customs uniform. More so, we have decided to suspend car import duties for now”.
Reacting to the CG’s responses the Deputy Majority Leader, Senator Bala Ibn N’allah referred him to the Acts establishing the Nigeria Customs Service and insisted that he must appear in Uniform.
According to him, the issue would have been resolved peacefully but for the manner in which the CG reacted and claimed that he was not employed to wear uniforms.
He made reference to Section 7 (2) and Section 8 of the Customs and Excise Act and insisted that the law requires the CG to wear uniform.
His words “The law requires you to wear uniform. We understand the intention of Mr. President but this senate is not an institution that can be put to disrepute.”
Contributing, Senator Jibrin Barau said, it was clear in the command and control of Customs Service that uniform is sacrosanct, suggesting that he should be asked to go and get his uniform before addressing the Senate next time.
Senator Adeola increased the gear when he said that he was finding it difficult to identify the guest in the Chambers as anybody can appear in mufti and claim to be Comptroller General.
He insisting that Ali must go back and get his uniforms first in accordance with the motion that summoned him.
Senator Ali Wakili, a former Customs officer, described as needless, grandstanding between the Senate and the Customs on point of uniform , urging that he should be allowed to mediate particularly as’ amicus curris’ of the Customs.
“Mr. President, Distinguished Colleagues, as a former Customs officer and now a Senator, I will always strike a balance between my position now and then. To borrow a word from lawyers, I am an ’amicus currier of Customs, I want the Senate to allow me mediate”, Wakili pleaded.
Senators George Sekibo referred the CG to relevant sections of the Nigerian Constitution which implies that persons and institutions are to hold on high esteem ‘ Authorities and institutions of government’,
He noted that the Senate is a representation of the entire Nigeria and at that the disobedience to Senate directives should not be tolerated.
On that note Senator Sekibo moved a motion for the CG to leave and comeback next week Wednesday.
Senator and other senators who spoke on the issue were of same opinion and the Lawmakers endorsed the motion that the CG should Go and come back properly dressed in NCS Uniform.
Senator Magnus Abe also used the opportunity to remind The CG Customs that the NCS has refused to release a bus donated to Rivers State ; and Ogoni People by an International Donor Agency .
The Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu who presided over plenary in a word of advice to the CG, noted that as number one image maker of the Service , he ought to live by example. He therefore ruled in favour of the motion that he should appear on Wednesday March 22 in Nigeria Custom Service uniform.
Meanwhile, Protesters ask C-G to step down, commercial activities were, yesterday, grounded at Fegge Area of Onitsha following a peaceful protest by Coalition of Civil Society of Nigeria, COSCON, against the directive by Ali.
The protesting groups, drawn from Anambra, Edo, Rivers, Imo Enugu and Abia State converged on Achebe Mini Stadium, Fegge, Onitsha, displaying placards with inscriptions as: “Ali must resign”, “Col. Hameed Ali, blame your officers not Nigerians”, “Hammed Ali, we are in a democracy, not military rule” ,”Ali is tired, he should go,” among others.
The protesting CSOs, led by Anambra State convener, Mr. Uzor A. Uzor and his Edo State counterpart, Mr Omobunde Agho, chanted anti-NCS songs, and marched from the Achebe Mini Stadium to NCS Area Office, along Asaba Enugu expressway to register their grievances against Col. Ali and the NCS.
Addressing newsmen, Coordinator General of Edo State CSOs, Mr. Omobunde Agho, his Anambra State counterpart, and Chairman Campaign for Democracy, CD, Uzor A. Uzor, in their respective speeches, urged the National Assembly to curtail the alleged excesses of Col. Ali, who they accused of having no respect for the lawmakers and Nigerians.
Agho said: “Ali is behaving as if he is a law unto him and making harsh policies in NCS to further impoverish the poor masses who have gone through economic hardship caused by recession.
“Corruption has eaten deep into the Nigerian Customs Service, and Col. Ali with his new policy, is creating more avenues for his men to be more corrupt. With his new policy, they will subject Nigerians to untold intimidation, harassment and extortion.”
Nneka Amaechi-Nnadi
Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.
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