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ABUJA, NIGERIA — Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Customs and Excise, Rt. Hon. Leke Joseph Abejide, has defended the ongoing retirement process within the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), insisting that the exits of senior officers are strictly in line with statutory provisions and have no connection with the anticipated appointment of a new Comptroller-General.
Abejide’s remarks come amid growing controversy over succession plans in the Customs Service and reports suggesting that the emergence of Deputy Comptroller I.D. Olorunfemi as the next Comptroller-General could trigger the compulsory retirement of several senior officers.
Reacting to the allegations, the lawmaker dismissed the claims as unfounded and misleading, stressing that all retirements currently taking place are governed by existing Public Service Rules and not influenced by leadership considerations.
According to him, officers are retiring only upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 60 years or after completing 35 years in service, as stipulated by law.
He maintained that insinuations that officers are being removed to create vacancies for preferred candidates distort the realities of the civil service system and fail to reflect established regulations guiding public sector employment.
“The Public Service Rules are explicit on retirement conditions. Retirement upon attaining 35 years in service or reaching the age of 60 is a legal requirement and not a discretionary action,” Abejide stated.
The lawmaker attributed the current concentration of retirements to structural challenges arising from a prolonged period during which recruitment and promotions within the Customs Service remained largely stagnant.
He explained that a recruitment gap spanning approximately sixteen years created an unusual personnel structure in which large numbers of officers advanced through the ranks at nearly the same pace, resulting in a clustering of senior officers within similar grade levels.
Abejide noted that personnel within the 41000, 42000 and 43000 service number categories experienced comparable career progression timelines due to the prolonged stagnation, leaving the agency with a disproportionately large upper cadre.
The situation, he said, has now culminated in a wave of retirements as many of those officers simultaneously approach the statutory limits of service.
According to the committee chairman, more than 1,500 Customs personnel are expected to leave the service under the provisions of Public Service Rule 100238, emphasizing that the development is a routine administrative process rather than an outcome of succession politics.
He further rejected allegations linking him to the presumed successor to the current Customs leadership, describing claims of personal, familial or political connections as entirely false.
Abejide said he has no longstanding relationship with the officer being speculated as the next Comptroller-General and only became acquainted with him recently in the course of official engagements.
He maintained that the ongoing transition process is designed to preserve institutional stability and ensure continuity of leadership while addressing workforce imbalances created by years of recruitment disruptions.
The lawmaker also stated that succession arrangements following the six-month transitional tenure of the current Comptroller-General, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, are being handled within the framework of established public service regulations.
Reiterating his position, Abejide stressed that no officer is being unlawfully retired, no senior official is being sidelined, and no extraordinary tenure concessions are being contemplated.
As debate continues over the future leadership of the Nigeria Customs Service, stakeholders across the sector are closely monitoring developments, with attention focused on how the agency navigates its leadership transition while managing the retirement of a significant number of senior personnel.
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