It is in Ali’s interest to honour the invitation by the Senate
Last week, the leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) washed its hands off Hameed Ali’s flirtation with anarchy. The party asked the comptroller-general of the Nigeria Customs Service, a retired colonel, to honour the invitation by the upper arms of the legislative body and end the needless controversy over the customs service uniform. “The party will not support any member, any appointed official of government to disrespect the National Assembly because we recognise that the National Assembly is the very meaning of our democracy,” said Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the APC spokesman.
The party’s intervention was coming in the wake of the long-drawn feud between the Senate and Hameed Ali. The upper chamber of parliament had simply invited the Customs boss to explain a controversial new vehicle duty policy ostensibly to boost the nation’s revenue but which will cause chaos in the streets and inflict untold hardship on many innocent Nigerians. Duties from imports, be it cars or electronics, are collected at the points of entry and not on the highways or at homes. To make matters worse, the complicated directive would be applied retroactively as cars bought even 20 years ago without import duties would be affected. The decision by the Senate to question Ali on the policy was therefore in order.
However, after initially turning down the invitation by the Senate, Ali reluctantly honoured it days later, reportedly after prompting by the presidency. But he did so without one of the conditions demanded by the upper arm of the National Assembly: to attend the session with the customs’ appropriate uniform. That ordinarily ought to be an honour. But a recalcitrant Ali told the Senate that “My not wearing uniform does not breach any law.”
We consider Hameed Ali’s action as not simply as the height of disrespect for the highest lawmaking organ of government in the country, but to the nation at large. We do not see the point that Ali is trying to make by refusing to wear the uniform of the customs which he leads. It is on record that Major General Anthony Hanniya (rtd), by far Ali’s senior in rank, proudly wore the uniform of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FSRC) as corps marshal of the agency.
The pertinent questions are: Why did he not turn down the appointment if he thought the CG uniform is beneath him? How can Ali enforce discipline in the organisation if he cannot subject himself to its simple rules and norms? Why are we inadvertently encouraging strong individuals rather than strong institutions?
There is no doubt that the president has the discretion to appoint any individual to any position of responsibility. But it has become apparent that such discretion should be exercised with caution. There are many competent men and women within the Nigeria Customs Service who could handle, perhaps even better, the services the present comptroller-general is doing with so much arrogance. Ali is not only said to be rigid and uncontrollable, he has no respect for constituted authority. He might have excelled in his military career, but it is increasingly evident that he is yet to wean himself of the autocratic ethos of military regimes, as he does what he likes.
Even more important, the nation is yet to see any appreciable slide in corruption in the customs he supervises or increased turnover in terms of revenue since he took over the saddle. Indeed, Professor Itse Sagay, chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), said recently that nothing had changed in the customs service since the new administration took charge in 2015. And there can be no change when the man who is supposed to provide leadership is more interested in disobeying constituted authority.
It is in Hameed Ali’s interest to do what is right.
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We consider Hameed Ali’s action as not simply as the height of disrespect for the highest law-making organ of government in the country, but to the nation at large.
