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Finance minister, Customs CG in exchange of words over budget before Senate

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What could have become a major embarrassment was averted yesterday as Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (Rtd) engaged Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun in a hot exchange of words over the 2016 budget.
Both had appeared before the Senate Committee on Finance chaired by Senator John Owan Enoh with managements of high profile revenue agencies to defend the ministry’s budget proposal.
Tempers between both political appointees of President Muhammadu Buhari rose when the proposal for an increase of Customs officers pay came and the minister objected to it.
She chided the agency for asking for pay rise at the point that the nation is broke claiming also that there are discrepancies in the balance sheet of the Nigeria Customs Service and advised it to sit up.
Adeosun said: “There is a disconnect between revenue and imports, disconnect between imports and forex demand. The Customs must sit up, you can’t ask for salary increase for your men when you say we are broke.”
Alli however retorted in anger questioning her rights to query the activities of the agency under his watch. He claimed he only reports to President Buhari and not her.
Alli said: “I disagree with you on this and you know I have always told you that. I don’t report to you I report to the President, ok, so what you say don’t matter”
Until Alli’s tenure, all former Customs bosses were answerable to the finance minister.
Enoh however insisted that the Committee was seriously monitoring activities of all revenue agencies with the mind-set that government must meet the yearnings of Nigerians.
He also warned that no excuses would be condoned by the 8th Senate by any agencies for not meeting the projected revenues, while disclosing that they would soon be on oversight function to see things the way they are.
“The 8th Assembly will not take excuses from any agencies for not meeting the target, besides, we will soon be on oversight,” he maintained.

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