Customs boss, Ali, in supremacy war with Finance Minister, Adeosun

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The
Comptroller-General of Customs, Col Hameed Ali(rtd.) is currently locked in a
battle of supremacy with the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun.

By the
virtue of the provisions of Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA) No. 55 of
1958 as amended in 2003, the minister of finance, who is the chairman of the
Customs board, supervises the Customs while the CG takes directives from the minister.

However,
since the current CG assumed office, he has shown utter disregard and disdain
for the Finance Minister, Adeosun, who is his boss.

It would be
recalled that Ali, before the appointment of the ministers, had bragged that he
would not take orders from the minister as he deals directly with the
President.

Using his
closeness with Mr President, Ali has carried out series of infractions on the
subsisting statues of Customs, which is CEMA, as he unilaterally made and
carried out major policy statements without recourse to the minister.

The first
infraction the retired Army Colonel committed was the unilateral retirement of
all the five Deputy-Comptrollers of Customs, as well as some Deputy Comptroller-
General without the approval of the minister.

He also
appointed officers in acting capacity as a replacement for those sacked without
referring to the minister.

According
to CEMA provisions, the customs CG cannot promote or retire any officer from
the rank of Assistant Comptroller- General without referring to the Customs
Board, which is chaired by the minister, an infraction Ali committed with glee.

It would be
recalled also that Ali made a policy statement reversing the ban on rice importation
through the borders; a policy statement that was made by the Federal Government
through the former minister of finance under the Goodluck Jonathan Administration,
meant to checkmate the high level of smuggling of the product into Nigeria.

It took the
intervention of the National Assembly whose members called the CG to order and
chastised him on the need to exercise restraint in the discharge of his duties.

At the
recent defence of the Customs budget at the National Assembly, Ali openly disagreed
with Adeosun on some matters concerning Customs. He reportedly told the minister
that he was not answerable to her, but the President.

Maritime
commentators expressed worry at the blatant breach of protocol by the
Comptroller- General who they accused of using his closeness to the President
to desecrate the office of the Minister of Finance.

They warned
that if he was not called to order, the seed of discord which this supremacy
war was likely to engender may affect the general well- being of the service.

“The
President should call Ali to order. He should not bring that mammillary
mentality into democracy. After all, the President whose name he was dropping
has confessed that he is a convert democrat.

“Ali too
should shed his toga of arrogance and don the garment of humility, constitutionality,
due process and the Rule of Law, which are the tenets of democracy. His current
air of arrogance and disrespect to the office of the Minister is not in tandem
with the change that the President professes,’’ a stakeholder said.

Another
respondent described the perceived strict nature of the CG as a mere
ground-standing meant to pull wool over the eyes of people.

‘’I even
learnt that he has started to enjoy the opulence and easy life for which he
crucified his predecessor as he has moved into the official residence of the
former CG,’’ said another source.

Sources
close to the Ministry of Finance said that the current posture of the CG was
meant to intimidate the minister and side-line her from the scheme of things.