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.
A statement from Chooks Oko, the Media Head of the committee, revealed that Adeniyi is expected to respond to allegations concerning top Customs officials who have refused to retire after reaching their due retirement dates.
The petition, submitted by the Obasi-Pherson Help Foundation, accused some Assistant Comptrollers and Comptrollers, including officers identified as Imam, Umar, Egwu, Awe, Fatia, and Faith, of overstaying in service beyond their legal tenure.
Committee Chairman Mike Etaba emphasized the need for accountability, stating, “Nigerians deserve to know the truth of the matter, and only the CG can clarify the situation. With the high unemployment rate, it would be unfair for those due for retirement to refuse to leave.”
He assured that the committee would ensure fairness in handling the matter, saying, “We treat each case on merit, ensuring that justice is served at all times.”
NIMC DG Faces Arrest Threat
In a related case, the House Committee has threatened to order the arrest of the Director General of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) over her failure to attend hearings regarding a contractual dispute with Truid Limited.
According to the petition, Truid Limited developed and deployed a tokenization system for NIMC in 2021 under a revenue-sharing agreement. However, the company claims that the newly appointed NIMC DG has attempted to cancel the agreement, violating the initial terms.
The committee expressed frustration over the repeated absence of the NIMC DG at hearings.
“If she fails to show up at the next hearing, we’ll have no option but to ask the Inspector General of Police to bring her. Government officials cannot continue to disregard constituted authority,” Etaba warned.
The House Committee has vowed to ensure that due process is followed in both cases.
