Some Senators and the Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Services (NCS) on Monday clashed at the headquarters of NCS over perceived breach of protocol. An altercation ensued when a Senate Committee chaired by Senator Dino Melaye and mandated to investigate alleged wastages by Customs complained that the Comptroller of Customs, Col. Hammeed Ali (rtd) failed to receive them personally, stressing that his action was in breach of protocol.
According to Senator Melaye said;
“Before reading the prepared speech of the committee, let me make this small remark on what we have just observed here in form of breach of protocols. Mr CG, rather than meeting us here at the conference room by way of courtesy, you are supposed to have met us at the ground floor on arrival into the premises"
Responding, the CG denied breaching any protocol stressing that the NCS had its own protocols different from other organizations. He wondered if the Senate receives him when he visits the National Assembly.
“We have our own protocol as regards receiving visitors like you. I don’t need to come downstairs to receive you just as nobody in the Senate or House of Representatives has ever come out to receive us anytime we visit the National Assembly. Let me state clearly that in the Nigeria Customs Service we are servants of the people. We believe in Nigeria and working with others to make it great without being railroaded in anyway.”
Meanwhile, the Committee in its preliminary report indicted the NCS of engaging in wastages. It claimed that the CG failed to release full document detailing all seizures made so far, as they discovered seized items including brand new bullet proof vehicles, Prado jeeps, bags of rice, textile materials and vaccines not contained in available document.
