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The House of Representatives Committee on Customs and Excise on Monday, expressed displeasure over the failure of the Comptroller Generals of the Nigeria Customs Service and the Nigeria Immigration Service to attend an investigative hearing.
This is as members of the committee cited Section 88 of the constitution, which empowers parliament to invite individuals and agencies to provide explanations on the operations of government agencies at any point in time.
The investigation focuses on the concession of the e-Customs project to the Trade modernisation project and Webb fontaine’s role in the e-customs framework.
Recall that the House Committees on Customs and Excise, as well as the Interior, had in 2014 invited the Minister of Interior, Comptroller General of Customs, Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service and other stakeholders to the investigative hearing on the modernisation of the Nigeria Customs Service.
At a plenary session, the House mandated the committees to investigate the Modernisation project of the Nigerian Customs Service (e-customs) concession to the Trade Modernisation Project and the role of Webb Fontaine in the E-Customs framework.
At the resumed hearing on Monday, the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji Ojo, was said to be out of the country while no explanation was tendered for the absence of the CGs of Customs and Immigration.
The Chairman of the Committee, Leke Abejide (ADC, Kogi) said, “The minister himself is not here, the CG of Customs is not here and the CG of Immigration is not here. Who are we going to talk to? We cannot talk to any other person apart from the head of the agencies and the minister. This assignment was given to us to carry out on behalf of the government, we are not doing it ourselves.”
A member of the Committee, Olumide Osoba (APC, Ogun) frowned at the development, noting that Section 88 of the constitution gives the parliament the power to invite any individual to appear before it.
Another member of the Committee on Customs, Awaji-Inombek Abiante (PDP, Rivers) said the behaviour of the three men was an affront to the parliament, adding that if they refuse to show up on the next adjourned date, the committee and the parliament should invoke its powers and recommend their removal from office.
According to Abiante, their refusal to honour parliamentary invitation would mean that they are either tired of the job or incompetent to carry out their assigned duties.
Ruling on the matter, Abejide said while the investigative hearing on Customs modernisation is concerned with improving government revenue, the second deals with the security of the nation.
Abejide said despite the busy schedule of the lawmakers, they were available for the exercise pointing out that the investigative hearing would have to be shifted to another day, preferably after the passage of the 2025 budget proposal.
