Ali vs Senate: The unending drama

Hameed Ali, Customs CG

FOr some weeks now, the Nigerian community has been rife with various debates on the face-off between the Senate and the customs boss, Hameed Ali. Indeed, the media, especially the social media, has been agog with diverse opinions on the issue. I believe that if people really know what the law says, they will come to an understanding that the Senate is just putting up unnecessary drama. There is no law which imposes a penal obligation on the Customs boss to wear his uniform when appearing before the Senate. However, as a mark of respect to institutions like the Senate, it is expected that the Customs boss should appear in uniform provided he is in active service and not retired.

If he decides to put on the uniform, it is a good idea. But if he doesn’t, the work of the Senate isn’t affected. Focus should be on the wellbeing of the country and its people, not a tug of war or supremacy battle over issues that should normally not cause disagreements. The law didn’t make it obligatory for agency heads to wear uniform. And many of the agency heads in Nigeria do not make wearing of uniforms a habit; this in no way affects their effectiveness or productivity. After all, what is in a uniform? The Comptroller General of Customs, it should be noted, is not merely an enforcement officer but also head of a regulatory body with diverse oversight functions which include the power to make regulations and policies, inspectorate and supervisory functions as well as the power to give licenses to some manufacturing companies. He is therefore not under the obligation to putting on uniform.

It is time for the Senate to look beyond physical appearances and examine the professionalism and experience that individuals have and their ability to carry out the assignments they are given to turn around the country’s economy. The challenge before the country right now goes beyond the issue of the Customs CG wearing uniforms to appear before the senate. The CG of the Nigeria Customs Service at present is not a serving Customs officer. As a non-career officer, I do not believe the question of wearing a uniform should arise because his appointment was made by the president pursuant to Section 171 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

A look at Sections 1-4 of the Nigerian Customs Service Board Act gives a clear view of what should apply and why the Senate should stop playing to the gallery and face its duties without the unnecessary drama. The above section is the provision used in creating the Nigerian Customs Service and this section stipulates that a Comptroller General can be anyone that is seconded from any arm of the public service without an injunction that the person must be a career officer. Worthy of note is that officers in some units of the Nigerian Customs do not wear uniforms based on the sensitivity of the nature of their assignments and this does not make them less officers of the Customs service.

I think the Senate did not get it right in this case. Hameed Ali or any other individual that finds himself in that office is not obliged to wear uniforms. Why is this? Apart from the fact that he has so many functions to perform that doesn’t require a uniform, the law does not compel him to do so and his schedule of duties does not mandate him to do this also. The CG, like some of his predecessors, is a political appointee that did not move through the rank and file of the Customs service and he, like others, is not appointed merely to wear uniforms. In the history of the Customs service, the first Director of Customs and many after him were not known to wear uniforms and no one raised any eyebrow about it.

And since this imbroglio started, no member of the Senate has adduced any constitutional reason for their stand nor cited any law that the CG has flouted in his refusal to wear a uniform to appear before the senate. This makes the noise arising from the issue quite funny. It can be described as an unreasonable waste of time and resources; the time could have been used to attend to myriad of issues in the plenary. I will advise that the Senate faces the important issues that have a bearing to the life of the average Nigerian and stop chasing shadows. There are more important issues like that of the unfriendly policy on duty payment for imported cars which has made buying of second hand cars a luxury beyond the reach of many Nigerians.

They should not be carried away by the irrelevancies especially in the face of the fact that they have the powers to review the law under which the Customs operate and input whatever amendment they feel is necessary. What is going on now is very unnecessary and a distraction to both the Senate and the CG of Customs. Both parties should consider what the law says and take the path that favours Nigerians rather than continuing to waste tax payers’ money on frivolities. His wearing a uniform does not make him less of a man while, his not wearing it does not make him an ineffective customs boss. Both parties should sheathe their swords, stop the supremacy battle and for once consider the interest of Nigerians. Let the law prevail. Let the citizen’s welfare count, subdue the ego and do the work for which you get paid.