Customs boss, Adewale Adeniyi, have until Tuesday to appear before House committee on public petitions while the NIMC DG risks arrest if she fails to honour the committee’s invitation
The House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions has summoned the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Adewale Adeniyi, to appear before it next Tuesday over allegations that some top officials of the service have refused to retire despite reaching their retirement dates.
The summons follows a petition submitted by the Obasi-Pherson Help Foundation, which accused several Assistant Comptrollers and Comptrollers of overstaying their service tenures.
The petition specifically named Imam, Umar, and Egwu (Assistant Comptrollers) and Awe, Fatia, and Faith (Comptrollers) as officials who should have retired but continue to hold their positions.
The committee, chaired by Rep. Mike Etaba (APC, Cross River), emphasized the need for transparency and accountability from the Customs boss, urging him to clarify the situation.
“Nigerians deserve to know the truth of the matter, and it is only the Comptroller General who can clarify the situation,” Etaba stated, adding: “In an era where many of our youths are struggling to find jobs, it is unacceptable for those due for retirement to refuse to leave. While we remain impartial in handling petitions, justice must be served, and we will ensure that the right thing is done.”
Threat of Arrest for NIMC DG
In a related development, the committee has issued a stern warning to the Director General of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Bisoye Coker-Odusote, threatening to issue a warrant for her arrest if she fails to appear in person to address allegations of breaching a license agreement with Truid Limited, a private software development firm.
Truid Limited, through its counsel E.R. Opara, accused NIMC of violating an agreement related to a tokenization system developed and deployed by the firm. According to the petition, the agreement allowed Truid to fund, develop, and operate the system without financial input from NIMC. The firm was to recover its investment by earning revenue from service providers, which would be shared with NIMC under an agreed ratio over ten years, starting in 2021.
However, the petition alleges that the newly appointed NIMC DG has been attempting to disrupt the agreement, resulting in a breach of contract.
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Rep. Etaba expressed frustration over the DG’s repeated failure to honor invitations, stating that such actions undermine the authority of the legislature.
“If the DG fails to show up at the next hearing, we will have no choice but to direct the Inspector General of Police to ensure her appearance. It is unacceptable for any government official to disregard constituted authority. We will not tolerate such behavior,” Etaba warned.
Recently, heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) have continued to dare the National Assembly’s summons despite having the constitutional right to do so.
Similar incidences was reported by Parliament Reports that the House of Representatives Legislative Compliance Committee issued summons to some agencies over their consistent disregards to legislative resolutions and invitations.
In the Senate, the Chairman of Public Accounts Committee claimed the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) had ignored his committee’s invitation for at least eight times.
STAR Check: Nigerians, particularly, constituents of Obubra Etung federal constituency, can keep tabs on the legislative performance of Rep. Etaba throughout the 10th House here
