The Nigerian Senate on Thursday humbled an arrogant and defiant Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Service, Col. Hameed Ali (retd.) by sending him away from the Upper House with an order to come back on Wednesday in uniform.
The Customs chief had appeared before the Senate on Thursday in mufti despite the insistence of the lawmakers that he must appear before it in Customs uniform.
When asked by Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu why he failed to appear before the lawmakers in uniform as ordered, Mr. Ali said the Senate did not state in its last letter to him that he should appear in uniform.
“Your letter didn’t say I should appear in unifoem, Ali told the Senators.
Ekweremadu, however corrected him, saying the last letter only served as a reminder of the first letter to him, in which he was asked to come in uniform.
Mr. Ali had refused to wear the Customs uniform since he was tapped by President Muhammadu Buhari as Comptroller-General.
Ali’s refusal to obey Senate instructions is a lack of respect for democratic institutions by the former military man, who retired from the Nigeria Army as a colonel.
His behaviour cannot be understood by right thinking Nigerians. Such is only possible in Nigeria. Could a service chief in the United States appear before Congree in mufti? Certainly, not. Only in Nigeria!
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