Secret Reporters No place to hide
Secret Reporters
The Senator representing Delta South in the Senate, James Manager has warned his colleagues of the danger ahead if the Comptroller General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ibrahim (Rtd) does not appear before the Senate on Wednesday kitted in the service uniform.
This warning by the time tested Senator is coming few hours after the CG dare the Red Chambers to do its worst as he would not appear them in any uniform but his usual agbada. Speaking on the floor of the House on Tuesday during plenary concerning the CG’s letter to the Senate, Manager noted that “The integrity of this senate is being tested. I want to inform you (Senators) particularly those who are first timers here, before you came there was this Senate and Senate remains the same and we have gone very far in terms of building this institution.
I have been here since 2003 and so many powerful and great men have passed through this particular chamber and therefore when letters like this are coming from executive bodies, Senate must take a very firm stand. I disagree with my leader, Senator Ahmed Lawan with the greatest possible respect.
If the CG had written and signed by him and then going further if he had established personal contact with the President of the Senate through the chairman of the Senate committee on Customs then that would have been understandable, but the man has somebody else to sign this letter to the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria this is very significant, an arm of government although the House of Representatives is there but this is the highest lawmaking body of this country and somebody like CG writing a letter and signed by somebody else.
Certainly this is not a matter of two wrongs not making a right. Believe you me, the Comptroller General of Customs must appear tomorrow and the reason he gave that his invitation here is coinciding with a small meeting that is taking place over there. A meeting that is not beyond his control as a human being but this is Senate of the Federal Republic and the man is saying that because of that reason Senate should defer. I think this is an insult of the highest order. I think I met a very powerful Senate in 2003 and the Senate remains the same up till today and by the grace of God when I am leaving here.
I want to leave behind a very powerful Senate so that while over there I will be proud of the Senate that I left behind. As we speak there are so many products of this place who are listening and who are also itching for action and to some that we don’t go below the standards they left behind. The comptroller general must appear in uniform tomorrow and anything short of that certainly is not acceptable to me and I want to believe is not acceptable to all the senators and what is not acceptable to all the senators is not acceptable to all Nigerians”
