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Good Governance Advocates have raised fresh concerns over the early retirement directive recently issued by the Nigerian 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 criticized the decision to require officers approaching retirement to vacate their posts before their official discharge date, effectively eliminating the three-month pre-retirement period usually given to senior personnel.
It was noted that the directive was inconsistent with past practices within the Service.
The group stated that the Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, has benefited from the extended services provided by President Bola Tinubu, along with several other senior officials who also enjoy similar privileges.
Against this background, the group questioned why officers who were currently retiring were not given leave before retirement.
GGA said: “This is not a period to suddenly escape from experienced hands.
“The service has been battling a shortage of experienced Financial Controllers, with only three at that level, and younger officers still need structured mentoring.”
The GGA emphasizes that the pre-retirement period has long been an important transition window for senior officers, allowing for appropriate handover, mentoring and preservation of institutional memory.
“It is deeply troubling that despite his colleagues having been out of the military since 2025, the CGC now appears determined to remove the remaining senior officers before his departure,” he added.
The group further warned that the sudden departure of experienced personnel could leave gaps in leadership development, particularly impacting the Deputy Comptroller and Assistant Comptroller hired between 2009 and 2012.
According to the organization, sidelining experienced officers and deploying relatively junior personnel to sensitive roles risks creating an operational imbalance within the Armed Forces.
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“This creates a dangerous imbalance. Critical operations are handled by officers who are still learning the ropes, while experienced professionals are sidelined,” the group warned.
The report warns that if not carefully reviewed, these policies can undermine morale, undermine operational efficiency, and undermine trust in institutional processes.
The GGA, therefore, urges President Tinubu to intervene and ensure that applicable norms—especially pre-retirement leave—are upheld for the sake of fairness, sustainability and good governance.
As debate around the directive continues, the group stated that any reform within the Service must prioritize equity, structured succession, and the preservation of institutional knowledge.
Timothy Enitan-Matthews
