As efforts to diversify the economy take centre stage in government’s programmes and events, Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki has decided to allow Customs Controller General, Col. Hameed Ali (rtd), wear what he (Ali) likes if Customs could end the menace of smuggling and bring to end its devastating onslaught on the Nigerian economy.

Speaking at a public hearing on effects of smuggling in the country organised by the Senate Committee on Customs, Excise and Tariffs at the National Assembly, Abuja Saraki said Customs must do what it takes to stop smuggling.

“To the Comptroller General of Customs, let me say on a lighter note, that once you end smuggling, even if you want to wear jeans and T-Shirt, I will move the motion that you should wear jeans and T-Shirt,” Saraki declared.

The Senate President noted what is militating against the success of government’s economic policies is the issue of smuggling.  He also insisted that unless the monster of smuggling is tamed, efforts being made to diversify the economy from oil would not yield expected results.

In his words “The singular greatest threat to the delivery of the promises made by President Muhammadu Buhari on the diversification of the economy is this issue of smuggling.” “The level of smuggling that we are seeing cannot continue because they will definitely rubbish all the policies of government if allowed to go on.

Saraki also stated that if smuggling is not stopped, the over $7billion invested by the government in the last 10 years to stimulate local production will go to waste. “As a country, we have invested over $7billion over the last 10 years in stimulating local production, if we do not address the area of smuggling, this investment will go to waste. This is the severity of the issue before us today”.

“Any institution, whether it is the National Assembly or any other one, in order to support the success of our President, we must join to stop smuggling, without it, we should just forget the issue of diversification or increased agricultural production” Saraki said.

Lamenting the ugly impact of smuggling on the economy, Saraki stated that, “There is no government, any serious government, that will render itself helpless because we must know the individuals who are doing this smuggling. We must be able to know who they are. Is it that they are larger and bigger than government? “Is it that we cannot stop them? Or is it that we don’t want to stop them? Or is it that we lack the competence to stop them”? the Senate President asked Customs chiefs and other maritime executives present at the hearing.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Customs, Excise and Tariffs, Senator Hope Uzodinma, said the public hearing was part of the committee’s holistic investigation into the operations of the Comprehensive Import Supervision Scheme (CISS) with a view to identify the factors responsible for increasing rate of smuggling of goods into the country. He said that the exercise was also aimed at proffering solutions to the menace of smuggling and recommend appropriate sanctions on perpetrators.

Maritime stakeholders and leaders of major freight forward Associations in the country were at the hearing. They made their observations and inputs at the hearing.