The Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Customs Service, Col. Hameed Ali (rtd) has been urged to resign his appointment if he cannot wear the uniform and rank of his position when he appears before the Senate.
Senator Solomon Adeola of Lagos West stated this in a statement on Sunday in a statement issued by his Media Adviser, Chief Kayode dunaro.
According to Adeola, as a retired army colonel who should know the importance of uniforms, the Customs boss wants to demean and undermine the symbolic importance of uniforms, discipline as well as the authority it confers on the agency in its operation as a lawful body.
Ali was summoned to appear in Customs Service uniform and rank to explain his refusal to suspend the policy on duty on vehicles and other recent acts of the Customs was to protect the organisational integrity and discipline in the institution of the Customs Service as well as protect the interest of the people.
“We have had a Major General Haladu Hanniya as head of FRSC wearing the agency’s uniform as well as a Major Danjuma Maigari wearing even the KAI uniform in Lagos State all in a bid to promote agencies they lead. This is not the Abacha military era when a Sole Administrator was appointed to head the Nigerian Customs,” Senator Adeola stated.
Adeola insisted that military and paramilitary uniforms inclusive of ranks are part of the symbol of a legitimate authority conferred on the wearer to carry out certain duties on behalf of the government.
“Except in covert operations, an officer in these organisations operating without uniform could be taken to be performing the illegal duty or worse, be taken as not representing the institution at all. And as stated on the floor of the Senate in plenary, the Comptroller General is a rank that can only be worn on uniform and not on mufti,” the senator stated.
Senator Adeola said there is concern among officers and men of the Customs Service on the appointment of ‘outsider’ to head the agency as it is a morale killer, career progression inhibitor as well as damaging to the organizational growth of the service stressing that there may be the need to amend the Nigerian Customs Act to restrict appointment of CG to career officers as is done in the Nigerian Police Force, the Nigerian Immigrations and the Nigerian Prisons Service.
