As the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), retired Col. Hameed Ali, is billed to appear before the Senate this Wednesday, over the impropriety of the new policy on Customs Duty on imported vehicles, a rights group in Nigeria, the Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice (CHRSJ) has thrown its weight behind the federal law makers, directing the Customs boss to appear before it in the service uniform as a mark of honour and respect for the organization and the nation in general.

The group also disclosed that the invitation of the Customs boss by the Senate was in order to put sanity into the system and as well, ameliorate the suffering Nigerians might encounter as a result of implementation of the new policy. It declared that the Customs decision could not be justified by any logic than self serving.

The group strongly condemned the policy, describing it as barbaric, anti-masses, draconian, self-centred, satanic, illegal, ungodly, anathema, and abomination, unconstitutional and undemocratic.

In a statement signed by its Executive Chairman, Comrade Adeniyi Alimi Sulaiman, CHRSJ commended members of the 8th Senate, particularly, the Chairman Senate Committee on Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Dino Melaye and Senate Deputy Majority Leader, Senator Bala Ibn Na’allah, for standing up against the illegal and anti-people policy of the Nigeria Customs Service, urging the lawmakers not to allow the policy to see the light of the day.

Comrade Sulaiman who further explained that since the inception of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, the government has been formulating and implementing obnoxious policies that make life unbearable for the Nigeria masses, adding that Nigerians should not be made to pay for the incompetence of the men of Nigeria Customs Service over non-payment of appropriate duties on vehicle, asking rhetorically, if the men of Customs slept off before the vehicles left the seaports and borders in the land?

The activist asked the Federal Government to purge the Customs Service of bad eggs, insisting that the level of corruption in the service was beyond imagination and increasing geometrically on daily basis, blaming the operatives for non-payment of appropriate duties on goods brought into the country.

He then advised the Customs Service to be alive to their official duties by stopping collaborating with the smugglers to evade the payment of Customs and Exercise duties on goods and services brought to the nation, advising the Customs Service to self the idea of this obnoxious vehicle duty policy which portrayed them as irresponsible and irresponsive organisation.

According to him, “The decision of the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly to invite the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Col. Ahmed Alli over the obnoxious new Vehicle duty policy and as well to appear before it in the Service Uniform is a welcome development which is in right direction. We are not in Banana country where anybody in position of authority can be doing as he likes and Col. Alli should not be allowed to return the nation back to the dark days of military which they could do anything at will without checkmating.

“The 8th Senate of the National Assembly under Dr. Bukola Saraki should be given kudos for standing against the anti-masses policy of the Nigeria Customs. Nigerians should not be allowed to pay for the incompetence and corruption of the men of Nigeria Customs. We can say categorically that the Customs officers are collaborators in the smuggling of illegal goods and evasion of payment of Customs and Exercise duties in Nigeria.”

It will be recalled that penultimate Thursday, the Customs boss, through a circular, issued a one month ultimatum, from Monday, March 13, to Wednesday, April 12, 2017, to all Vehicle owners within the country, whose Customs duties had not been fully paid to do so, advising in the Circular all Motor Dealers and private owners of such vehicles to visit the nearest Zonal office of the service to pay appropriate duties on them.

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