Delayed Retirement: Tinubu Extends Customs Director General Tenure Past Lawful Limit

President Bola Tinubu has approved a one-year extension for the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, extending his tenure beyond the legally stipulated retirement limit.

Adeniyi, initially scheduled to retire on August 31, 2025, will remain in office until August 2026. The development was confirmed in a Wednesday statement issued by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

According to the statement, the extension aims to allow Adeniyi to consolidate ongoing reforms within the Customs Service, including modernising operations, implementing the National Single Window Project, and Nigeria’s commitments under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

The President is confident that this extension will further strengthen the Nigeria Customs Service in achieving its strategic mandate of trade facilitation, revenue generation, and border security, the statement read.

However, the move has sparked renewed concerns among civil society groups and stakeholders over what has been described as a pattern of tenure extensions that may undermine institutional discipline within the NCS.

In 2024, President Tinubu had similarly approved a 12-month service extension for Comptroller M.T. Awe and several other top officials of the Customs Service. That approval, conveyed in a letter dated December 12, 2024, and signed by B. Imam, Secretary of the Nigeria Customs Service Board (NCSB), was already mired in controversy over allegations of favouritism, lobbying, and irregularities surrounding delayed retirements.

Civil society organisation Societal Safety Network (SSN) has been vocal in its criticism of these developments. In a statement signed by its Director of Public Communication, Asuku Sunday, the group condemned the growing practice of senior customs officers refusing to vacate office after reaching mandatory retirement age.

Reports have emerged alleging that some retired Deputy Comptroller-Generals (DCGs), Assistant Comptroller-Generals (ACGs), and Comptrollers continue reporting for duty despite officially exhausting their years of service. CSOs argue that such irregularities erode morale within the agency and tarnish the credibility of Tinubu’s much-publicised public sector reforms.

Adeniyi was appointed acting CG of Customs in June 2023, following the departure of his predecessor, Hameed Ali. He was confirmed in a substantive capacity in October 2023.

The latest extension raises questions about adherence to public service rules and the growing trend of executive waivers overriding civil service statutes.  This issue is similar to Tinubu’s extension of the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, who would have bowed out of office when he clocked 60 in September 2024.

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