Why Senate must stop Customs policy —Fasehun

FOUNDER of the Oodua Peoples’ Congress (OPC), Dr Frederick Fasehun, on Monday, said the Senate must insist on the Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) halting the plan on retroactive payment of duties and tariffs by vehicle owners in the country.

He also reminded President Muhammadu Buhari that it was expedient for him to fulfill 12 of his core pre-election promises in 2015.

Fasehun, who addressed newsmen on raging national issues, including the xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa, accused the Customs boss, Colonel Hameed Ali (retd), of attempting to undermine the constitutional power of the Senate.

He said before the intervention, the Customs personnel had virtually turned themselves to terror on the highway, by impounding vehiclesSenate,  indiscriminately.

“The Customs’ order would subject vehicle owners to double jeopardy for vehicles they bought at already exorbitant costs and for which they have procured necessary particulars.

“Why should the end-user be the one to pay for Customs’ dereliction of duty at the border posts? Are we not in danger of waking up one day to find Customs’ officers invading people’s homes to demand import papers for furniture, electronic appliances and clothing items?

“Rather than regard the Senate as meddlesome interlopers, Ali needs to be educated that the legislature is constitutionally empowered to make laws for the country and provide oversight functions to the executive and all its departments, and that the Senate’s directive squarely falls in line with its oversight supervision of the Nigerian Customs.

“Colonel Ali should be told that Customs and Excise are covered in the Exclusive list, to which Section 4 Subsection (2) of the Constitution refers to when it says: ‘The National Assembly shall have power to make laws for the peace, order and good government of the Federation or any part thereof with respect to any matter included in the Exclusive Legislative List set out in Part I of the Second Schedule to this Constitution.’

“We urge the Presidency and the Minister of Internal Affairs to immediately compel the Comptroller-General to obey the Senate’s order. He must obey the Senate,” Dr Fasehun stated.