News
Nigerian Customs to Retire Five Deputy Comptrollers-General, 1,516 Officers
The retirement notices were contained in two restricted circulars issued by the Service’s Human Resource and Development Department and signed by the Comptroller, Establishment, A.A. Bazuaye, on behalf of the Deputy Comptroller-General, Human Resources and Development.
According to the documents, officers across all cadres, from the rank of Deputy Comptroller-General to Customs Assistant II, will exit the service in line with statutory retirement provisions.
The first document, Circular No. HRD/2025/048 dated September 19, 2025, contains what was described as the final list of 825 officers scheduled to retire in 2026.
The breakdown shows that the Deputy Superintendent of Customs cadre accounts for 285 officers, followed by the Superintendent of Customs with 226 officers. Other affected cadres include Assistant Superintendent of Customs I with 64 officers, Chief Customs Officer with 53, Deputy Customs Officer with 51, Assistant Customs Officer with 46, Chief Superintendent of Customs with 61, Inspector of Customs with eight, Assistant Superintendent of Customs II with 10, Customs Assistant I with one, Customs Assistant II with two, Assistant Comptroller-General with 13 and Deputy Comptroller-General with five officers.
A second Circular No. HRD/2026/020 dated May 26, 2026, forwarded a draft list of 691 officers due for statutory retirement in 2027.
The list indicates that the Superintendent of Customs cadre will account for the highest number of retirements with 200 officers, followed by the Deputy Superintendent of Customs cadre with 193 officers. Others include Deputy Customs Officer with 81 officers, Chief Superintendent of Customs with 68, Assistant Customs Officer with 57, Assistant Superintendent of Customs I with 39, Chief Customs Officer with 38, Assistant Superintendent of Customs II with four, Customs Assistant I with four, Customs Assistant II with four, Inspector of Customs with two and Assistant Comptroller-General with four officers.
In both circulars, the Service directed affected officers to proceed on mandatory pre-retirement leave in accordance with Public Service Rule 100238 and Federal Government Circular No. 63216/S.I/X/T; CR 1/2001/5 of March 20, 2001.
The officers were further directed to ensure compliance and forward their three-month pre-retirement notice to the Comptroller-General of Customs accordingly.
The circulars stated that, “I am directed to forward the attached list on the above subject matter as retirement notice to all affected personnel. In accordance with the Public Service Rule (PSR) No. 100238 and Federal Government circular No.63216/S.I/X/T; CR 1,/2001/5 of 20/03/2001, all affected officers due for retirement are to disengage from the active service and proceed on pre-retirement leave, three months prior to their effective date of retirement.”
The 2027 circular also opened a window for complaints and corrections, stating that “any observed error, omission or legitimate complaints arising from the attached list should be forwarded to the office of the Deputy Comptroller-General (HRD) on or before 31 July 2026.”
To ensure dissemination, Zonal Coordinators, Area Controllers and Unit Heads were directed to circulate the lists to all affected officers.
Some of the affected officers include:Deputy Comptrollers-General Omale (SVC No. 41148), who retired on June 7, 2026; Nnadi (SVC No. 43193), whose retirement took effect on March 3, 2026; Chiroma (SVC No. 42988), who retired on September 23, 2026; and Adeola MRS (SVC No. 42972) and Niagwan (SVC No. 41524), both scheduled to retire on December 23, 2026.
Among Assistant Comptrollers-General affected by the 2026 retirement exercise are Egwuh (SVC No. 38991), who retired on March 14, 2026; Umoh (SVC No. 41351), who exited the Service on February 2, 2026; Mohammed (SVC Nos. 41394 and 41395), both of whom retired on June 24, 2026; and Abe (SVC No. 41110), whose retirement date is August 21, 2026.
Others are Olomu (SVC No. 41145), Olaniyan (SVC No. 41197), Yusuf (SVC No. 41257), Oladeji (SVC No. 41308) and Gaji (SVC No. 41328), all scheduled to retire on September 24, 2026. Also on the list are Adebakin (SVC No. 41670) and Bomodi (SVC No. 42758), both due for retirement on September 23, 2026, as well as Nyam (SVC No. 40428) and Abubakar (SVC No. 40139), whose retirement dates are October 1, 2026, among others.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Customs and Excise, Abejide Leke Joseph, said the retirements were statutory and not connected to reports surrounding the appointment of a new Comptroller-General of Customs.
“The Civil Service Rules are very clear. Retirement after 35 years in service or at the age of 60 is not by compulsion; it is by law. Therefore, suggestions that any officer would be retired to create room for another appointment are false and misleading,” he said.
The lawmaker attributed the large number of retirements to a prolonged recruitment gap in the Service.
“There is a 16-year gap of non-recruitment and stagnant promotion. As a result, officers of 41000, 42000, and 43000 service numbers categories have risen through the ranks almost simultaneously and now occupy similar levels of seniority,” Abejide said.
He explained that the situation had created a top-heavy structure within the Service, with many officers reaching retirement age or service limits at about the same period.
Abejide disclosed that more than 1,500 officers were expected to retire under the provisions of Public Service Rule 100238, stressing that the exercise was a natural and legally mandated process rather than a consequence of any leadership succession arrangement.
Efforts to obtain a response from the Nigeria Customs Service spokesperson, Abdullahi Maiwada, on plans to replace the retiring officers were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
President Bola Tinubu had on Friday approved a final six-month tenure extension for the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Adewale Adeniyi, allowing him to remain in office until February 2027.
The extension was announced in a statement issued on Friday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
According to the statement, Adeniyi’s first tenure extension was due to expire on August 1, 2026, but Tinubu approved an additional six months to enable him to complete key reforms within the Customs Service.
Onanuga said the extension was granted “to enable him to consolidate the implementation of the National Single Window and ensure an orderly succession in the service.”
The presidential spokesman added that during the transition period, Adeniyi would work with the Nigeria Customs Service Board to oversee critical personnel matters.
“During the transition period, Adeniyi, working with the Nigeria Customs Service Board, will ensure the promotion of eligible officers to the rank of Comptroller of Customs and the compulsory retirement of officers who have attained 60 years of age or have served 35 years,” the statement said.
Adeniyi joined the Nigeria Customs Service after graduating from Obafemi Awolowo University in the late 1980s and rose steadily through the ranks of the service.
He became a Deputy Comptroller in 2012, was promoted to Comptroller in 2017, Assistant Comptroller-General in 2020, and Acting Deputy Comptroller-General in January 2023. President Tinubu subsequently appointed him Comptroller-General of Customs in June 2023.
The six-month extension is expected to provide continuity for ongoing reforms within the Customs Service while paving the way for a smooth leadership transition.
Sowore will remain in custody pending the hearing of an application filed by his new counsel seeking to set aside the order revoking his bail.
At the last adjourned date, Sowore was absent from court, prompting the prosecution to ask the court to revoke his bail, alleging delay tactics.
Although Sowore had sent a letter to the court at the last sitting seeking an adjournment, he did not state any reason for his absence.
At Monday’s proceedings, Sowore was present in court and represented by Olumide Fusika, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
Justice Umar also dismissed Sowore’s earlier application seeking the judge’s recusal from the case on grounds of alleged bias.
The matter was adjourned until June 24 for the hearing of the application.
News
Enugu North Bye-Election: Nwoye Attributes APC Victory to National Chairman, NWC Members, Gov. Mbah’s support
By Chinedu Adonu
The Deputy National Chairman (South) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Ben Nwoye, has expressed delight over the party’s resounding victory in the Enugu North Senatorial District bye-election
Nwoye, attributed the success to the support and encouragement of the party’s national leadership and the conducive political environment in the state.
Nwoye specifically thanked the National Chairman of the APC, Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, and members of the National Working Committee (NWC) for their tremendous support throughout the electoral process.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Ignatius Okpara, Nwoye said the support from the party leadership made it possible for the APC to field a candidate whose credentials and popularity resonated with the electorate.
“Our candidate was a fantastic product that needed little advertisement to market,” he stated.
The APC chieftain also commended the Governor of Enugu State, Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, describing him as the leader of the party in the state and praising his administration for providing an enabling political environment that ensured a peaceful and hitch-free election across the six local government areas of the senatorial district.
The APC candidate, Ikeje Asogwa, was declared winner of the bye-election by the Independent National Electoral Commission after polling 162,360 votes out of the 184,094 votes cast to defeat other contenders.
His closest rival, Nestor Ezeme of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), secured 9,299 votes to finish second in the contest.
Nwoye equally appreciated APC members and supporters across the zone for turning out in large numbers despite the heavy rainfall to exercise their civic rights.
“Your massive turnout and participation on Saturday, despite the heavy downpour, speaks volumes about your love for our great party, the APC, and for Nigeria’s democratic process.
“We are indeed grateful to you all for believing in our party. I want to assure you that the national leadership of the APC under the watch of our amiable National Chairman, Professor Yilwatda, will not take this support for granted.
“Be rest assured that your incoming Distinguished Senator, Ikeje Asogwa, will make you and the entire zone proud at the hallowed chambers of the National Assembly.”
Nwoye reiterated the party’s commitment to delivering effective representation and sustaining the confidence reposed in it by the people of Enugu North Senatorial District.
The Independent National Electoral Commission has declared the All Progressives Congress candidate, Governor Biodun Oyebanji, the winner of the Ekiti State governorship election held on Saturday.
The governor was re-elected after polling 319,224 votes over his closest rivals in the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, Olumayokun Oluyede and African Democratic Congress, Dare Bejide, across the state’s 16 local governments.
The Returning Officer for the election, Prof Adenike Oladiji, who is the Vice Chancellor of Federal University of Technology, Akure, announced the results in the early hours of Sunday at the INEC’s headquarters on Iyin Road in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.
Oladiji said, “Therefore, I, Adenike, am the returning officer for the 2026 Ekiti governorship election…Oyebanji Abiodun Abayomi, having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and stands re-elected.”
While the APC polled 319,224 votes, the PDP candidate polled 40, 533 votes, and the ADC candidate amassed 12,872 votes.
There are 988,251 registered voters, and 384,940 are accredited.
The Labour Party governorship candidate in Ebonyi State, Comrade Chief Eze Oko Splendour, has questioned the whereabouts of the three aircraft reportedly purchased by the Ebonyi State Government and scheduled to arrive in the state in January 2026.
In a statement issued on Friday, Oko expressed concern that nearly six months after the promised arrival date, the aircraft have yet to be delivered, urging the government to provide explanations to the people of the state.
According to him, Ebonyi residents deserve to know the status of the aircraft acquisition and the reasons behind the delay.
“June is almost over, yet the aircraft are nowhere to be seen. Every concerned Ebonyi citizen should be asking questions about what is holding back their arrival,” he stated.
The Labour Party chieftain argued that the funds reportedly committed to the aircraft purchase could have been invested in industrial development and job creation, which he said would have a more direct impact on tackling unemployment in the state.
He further stressed the need for transparency and accountability in the management of public resources, describing state funds as the collective patrimony of the people.
Oko called on the government to clarify the situation surrounding the aircraft acquisition and reassure citizens that public resources are being utilized in their best interest.
He concluded by expressing optimism about the future of the state, saying, “Ebonyi State shall rise again. God is our helper.”
The Ebonyi State Government has yet to officially respond to the concerns raised by the Labour Party governorship candidate.
A coalition of opposition political parties in Enugu State has instituted a suit at the Federal High Court, Enugu Judicial Division, challenging the legality of a directive requiring political parties and candidates to pay N150 million as an advertising permit fee before conducting campaign activities through billboards and posters ahead of the 2026/2027 elections.
The suit, filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP), Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Social Democratic Party (SDP), and their respective state chairmen, names the Enugu State Structures for Signage and Advertisement Agency (ENSSAA), its General Manager, Mr. Francis Aninwike, the Enugu State House of Assembly, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), and the Nigeria Police Force as defendants.
According to the originating summons dated June 15, 2026, the plaintiffs are asking the court to determine whether ENSSAA and the Enugu State Government possess the constitutional authority to impose a mandatory N150 million advertising permit fee on political parties and candidates seeking to campaign through billboards during the 2026/2027 general elections.
The opposition parties argue that the regulation of election campaigns falls exclusively within the powers of INEC under the Electoral Act and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. They further contend that advertising regulation is a matter reserved for the National Assembly and ARCON, making any state legislation or executive directive on political campaign advertising unconstitutional and beyond the powers of the state authorities.
Among the reliefs sought, the plaintiffs are asking the court to declare the ENSSAA directive unlawful, null and void, set aside the policy, and restrain the agency and the Enugu State Government from enforcing the payment of the N150 million fee. They are also seeking an order compelling the Nigeria Police Force to protect political parties from alleged harassment or intimidation arising from the enforcement of the directive.
The suit was filed by legal practitioner Ike Ozor on behalf of the plaintiffs. The Federal High Court is expected to determine whether the controversial permit requirement violates constitutional provisions governing election campaigns and advertising regulation in Nigeria.
The legal challenge comes amid growing debate over the cost of political campaigning and the role of state agencies in regulating election-related advertisements ahead of the 2027 electoral season.
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