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Parliament calls for resignation of customs boss over uniform

Nigeria's customs boss has been asked to tender his resignation by lawmakers, because he wouldn't bring himself to wear a uniform.

Hameed Ali with some of his officers

The senate's resolution, Wednesday, is the culmination of weeks of angry back and forth between Ali and the lawmakers over what the rule book says concerning the spotting of a uniform of a government agency.

Ali's position has been that the law doesn't compel him to wear the uniform, having been called to head one of Nigeria's less transparent government agencies from outside the ranks of Customs, by a President Muhammadu Buhari who abhors graft and who has made tackling corruption and plugging leakages, a cardinal objective of his administration.

62-year-old Ali is a retired army Colonel who has led an austere and spartan lifestyle--much like the President himself--before he was called to serve his nation again.

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Lawyers say only officers who rose through the ranks of Customs are duty bound to don the uniform.

Ali, who was summoned by the senate to do away with a controversial policy that has to do with compulsory levies on cars, was walked out of the national assembly for not wearing a uniform, last week.

He was asked to show up before lawmakers today, Wednesday, March 22, 2017 in his Customs uniform.

However, a day before he was due to appear before lawmakers, Ali wrote a letter informing senators that he wouldn't be showing up at all because the subject of whether he should spot a uniform or not is now before a court of competent jurisdiction.

"Somebody has sued us", Ali announced to reporters almost gleefully, in an attempt at explaining his planned 'no show' the following day.

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"It is subjudice. I have got my writ of summons and they said status quo ante should remain, which means nothing should move until the court makes a pronouncement.

"A private individual sued all of us; he wants an interpretation of the section that is in contention. I don't want to talk so that I'm not held in contempt of court."

Lawmakers were enraged when Ali's correspondence stating he wouldn't be showing up, reached them.

They had threatened Ali with an arrest and during plenary on Wednesday, some lawmakers reiterated that position before declaring the President's appointee a misfit for his office.

“Hameed Ali is not even fit to be the Comptroller General of Customs," bristled Senator Dino Melaye who is a member of President Buhari's APC.

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Melaye continued in a fit of rage: “The position of the Comptroller General of Customs is a rank. By extension, anyone occupying that position is a public servant.

“According to Section 8 of the Public Service Rule 2004, the compulsory retirement age of everyone in the service including Customs, shall be 60 years of 35 years of service, whichever is earlier.

“I put it to you that Hameed Ali is far above 60 years old.

"President Muhammadu Buhari told Nigerians that one of the fundamental objectives of his government shall be respect for rule of law. Now, there is a test. The President has the choice to choose between the rule of law or Hameed Ali. We will see what will happen.

"The President might so wish to appoint Hameed Ali as sole administrator of Customs if he requires his service".

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The senate resolution demanding Ali's resignation over a uniform is the latest in a series of squabbles between the executive and the legislature in Africa's most populous democracy.

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