SAN FRANCISCO, March 22, (THEWILL) – The Senate on Wednesday asked President Muhammadu Buhari to sack the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, Col. Hameed Ali (retd), asserting that he is unfit to occupy any public office.
The call followed Ali’s decision not to appear before plenary in uniform on Wednesday as directed by the Senate for him to come and explain the rationale behind Customs directive that vehicle owners should pay import duty on their cars.
The Senate had asked Ali to appear before it in Customs uniform on March 8, but he failed to honour the invitation on the grounds that he had a management meeting.
Not satisfied with the reason, the upper chamber issued a warrant mandating Ali to appear on March 16, and he honoured the invitation this time round, but in civilian attire.
This irked the lawmakers who sent him away and ordered him to return in uniform at 10 am today – March 22.
But on Tuesday, the Customs boss told reporters that he will not appear, basing his decision on legal advice after a Nigerian filed a case in court seeking the interpretation of a Customs law on uniform for the Comptroller-General.
Also during Wednesday’s plenary, the Senate rejected the letter by the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, asking the lawmakers to suspend discussion on Ali.
Malami’s letter was read by the Clerk to the Senate at the plenary on Wednesday, just as the lawmakers dissolved into committee of the whole to receive briefing from the comptroller-general.
The Senate rather resolved to write Buhari to caution the AGF to respect the principle of Separation of power.
The lawmakers urged the President to restrain Malami from unconstitutional interference in the work of the National Assembly.
The Senate condemned the AGF for attempting to derail it from carrying out its functions, just as it described his letter advising the Senate to desist from further attempt to summon the Customs boss and also urging him to wear uniform as an insult on the National Assembly.
In the main, the upper legislative chamber urged the NCS to cancel outright its proposed payment of import duty on old vehicles.
