IBY
Peterside Rejoice Eneky
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 on Tuesday, February 18, 2025. The summons follows allegations that some senior officers have refused to retire despite reaching their mandatory retirement age.
The petition, submitted by the Obasi Pherson Help Foundation, claims that certain Assistant Comptrollers and Comptrollers identified as Imam, Umar, Egwu, Awe, Fatia, and Faith have overstayed their service tenure.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Committee’s Head of Media, Chooks Oko, emphasized that Adeniyi must clarify the situation, as Nigerians deserve transparency.
“The Comptroller General, as a public officer, must explain why some officers are still in service beyond their retirement dates. We owe it to the Nigerian people to ensure that government institutions operate fairly and efficiently,” said Mike Etaba, Chairman of the Committee on Public Petitions.
He further noted that while the Committee would remain impartial, it was crucial to uphold justice, particularly when employment opportunities are scarce for young Nigerians.
NIMC DG Faces Possible Arrest Over Unpaid Software Project
In a related development, the Committee has threatened to order the arrest of the Director General of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Abisoye Coker-Odusote, if she fails to personally appear before the panel.
This comes after Truid Limited, a private firm, accused NIMC of breaching a license agreement for a software development project. The company claims it funded and deployed a tokenization system under an arrangement where it would recover costs through service providers’ fees. However, the new NIMC leadership is allegedly trying to terminate the agreement unlawfully.
Reacting to legal arguments from both sides, Etaba condemned the NIMC DG’s repeated absence.
“If she fails to appear at the next hearing, we will instruct the Inspector General of Police to enforce her attendance. Government officials cannot disregard constituted authority with impunity,” he warned.
The Committee is expected to make further decisions after hearing from all parties involved.
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