Former Customs boss contradicts Hameed Ali on uniform controversy

A former Comptroller-General of Nigerian Customs Service, Bello Haliru, on Tuesday said he wore the uniform of the agency while in office, even though he was a political appointee and not a career officer.


Mr. Haliru was the first CG to be appointed outside the service in 1988 by the former military ruler, Ibrahim Babangida.

He led the agency until 1994 when former military ruler, Sani Abacha, relieved him of the role.

In an interview with PREMIUM TIMES Tuesday afternoon, Mr. Haliru, who is also a former Minister of Communications from 2001 to 2003, said he was duty-bound to obey all the rules and regulations of the agency following his appointment.

“The moment I was appointed, I became a career Customs officer,” Mr. Haliru said. “I knew I must comply with all rules and regulations of the organisation I am leading and that included wearing a uniform.”

Mr. Haliru said he was proud to lead Customs and appreciated the opportunity given to him by the country to serve.

The comments came amid raging controversy over current CG of Customs’ refusal to wear the agency’s uniform.

Since his appointment in August 2015, Hamid Ali has rebuffed pressure on him to wear the khaki, saying last week that he was “not appointed Comptroller-General to wear uniform.”

Asked to weigh in on the matter, Mr. Haliru said he did not have sufficient knowledge about Mr. Ali’s appointment.

“It depends on the terms of his employment,” Mr. Haliru said. “I don’t know the terms of his employment.”

“But as for me, when I was tapped to lead Customs, having accepted, I had to comply with all the Customs regulations.”

“Wearing uniform is part of the service regulation. When you accept the appointment, you’re subject to the service regulations,” he said.

Mr. Ali, a former army colonel, was also reported to have said that uniformed men do not wear uniform twice.

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