Group faults Customs retirement directive, demands fairness in implementation

The Good Governance Advocates has raised fresh concerns over the recent early retirement directive in the Nigeria Customs Service.

The group urged the Customs authorities to ensure fairness and institutional balance in the implementation of the directive.

In a statement issued on Friday by its convener, Ajibade Ojomo, the group criticised the decision requiring officers nearing retirement to vacate office ahead of their official disengagement dates, effectively removing the long-established three-month pre-retirement period traditionally granted to senior personnel.

It noted that the directive was inconsistent with past practices within the Service.

The group pointed out that the Customs Comptroller-General, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, had benefited from a service extension granted by President Bola Tinubu, alongside several other senior officers who also enjoyed similar privileges.

Against this backdrop, the group questioned why officers currently due for retirement are being denied the customary pre-retirement leave.

The GGA said: “This is not the period for abrupt disengagement of experienced hands.

“The Service is already battling a shortage of seasoned Comptrollers, with barely three at that level, and the younger officers still require structured mentoring.”

GGA stressed that the pre-retirement period has long served as a critical transition window for senior officers, allowing for proper handover, mentorship, and preservation of institutional memory.

“It is troubling that while his contemporaries exited the Service as far back as 2025, the CGC now appears determined to clear out remaining senior officers before his departure,” it added.

The group further warned that the sudden exit of experienced personnel could leave a gap in leadership development, particularly affecting Deputy Comptrollers and Assistant Comptrollers recruited between 2009 and 2012.

According to the organisation, sidelining seasoned officers while deploying relatively junior personnel to sensitive roles risks creating operational imbalance within the Service.

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“This creates a dangerous imbalance. You have critical operations being handled by officers who are still learning the ropes, while seasoned professionals are effectively pushed aside,” the group warned.

It cautioned that if not carefully reviewed, the policy could undermine morale, disrupt operational efficiency, and weaken confidence in institutional processes.

GGA, therefore, urged President Tinubu to intervene and ensure that established norms—particularly the pre-retirement leave—are upheld in the interest of fairness, continuity, and good governance.

As debate around the directive continues, the group maintained that any reform within the Service must prioritise equity, structured succession, and the preservation of institutional knowledge.

Timothy Enitan-Matthews

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