General
Nigeria Customs Faces Workforce Gap as 1,516 Officers Near Retirement
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigeria Customs Service (NBS) will face a significant workforce gap as 1,516 officers, including senior management personnel, are scheduled to retire between 2026 and 2027.
Official retirement lists show that 825 officers will leave the service in 2026, while another 691 are due for retirement in 2027. The exits span all cadres, from Deputy Comptrollers-General to junior officers, creating one of the largest retirement waves in the agency’s recent history.
Lawmakers and customs officials attribute the development to a 16-year recruitment gap that resulted in a large cohort of officers advancing through the ranks simultaneously and now reaching mandatory retirement age or service limits at about the same period.
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.
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 a 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.
The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Customs and Excise, Mr Leke Joseph Abejide, 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,” Mr 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.
Mr 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.
This development comes after President Bola Tinubu on Friday approved a final six-month tenure extension for the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Mr 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, Mr Bayo Onanuga.
According to the statement, Mr 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.
The presidency 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, Mr 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.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The National Economic Council (NEC) has approved a $4.5 billion arrangement for the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited aimed at strengthening the country’s external reserves and freeing up funds for infrastructure.
This is part of the refinancing of the $3.3 billion Project Gazelle Pre-Export Finance Facility through a new $4.5 billion facility named “Project Gazelle 2”.
The approval allows NNPC Limited to refinance the outstanding balance of approximately $1.5 billion under the original 2023 facility, while unlocking an additional $3 billion in liquidity to strengthen the country’s external reserves and support ongoing fiscal and infrastructure priorities of the government.
NEC’s approval followed a presentation by the Minister of Finance, Mr Taiwo Oyedele, which was presented by the Chairman of the Council, Vice President Kashim Shettima, underscoring the importance of the project.
NEC observed the significance of unlocking additional liquidity to the federation, among other benefits, pledging its support for the actualisation of the initiative.
The Finance Minister explained that the refinancing has been structured on more favourable terms than the original facility, including a reduction in the volume of pledged crude oil from 90,000 barrels of oil per day to approximately 78,750 barrels of oil per day – a 12.5 per cent reduction.
He noted that under the new arrangement, an additional 11,250 barrels of oil per day for the federation will be released, while there will be a reduction in the pledged crude volumes by the state oil company.
Mr Oyedele added that while accessing additional liquidity on improved terms, the arrangement is freeing up resources for strategic national priorities while strengthening the country’s financing structures.
“The arrangement is freeing up resources for strategic national priorities while strengthening the country’s financing structures,” he said.
VP Shettima called for a responsive, scalable, and data-driven social protection policy to tackle multidimensional poverty in Nigeria.
According to Mr Shettima, government policies are often heard before they are seen, speak through the price of food, condition of hospitals, records in schools, strain on families, the confidence of those who invest their labour in the nation’s future, and, very importantly, the ambitions of state governments.
He implored members of Council to ensure that every decision they make assure the citizens “that their government is paying attention to the pulse of the nation and is resolved to respond with competence, compassion and purpose.”
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Members of the public have been invited to submit memoranda and policy proposals on the proposed National Policing Bill.
The Chairman of the Working Group, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, announced this on Monday after the team’s meeting at the State House in Abuja.
The group, headed by the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, is calling for input from Nigerians as part of efforts to establish a comprehensive legal and operational framework for state policing.
It is reviewing the Police Act 2020, the Police Service Commission framework, police regulations, and other relevant laws to support the development of an effective, modern policing system.
The proposed framework will set national minimum standards, define state readiness and grant certification, clarify jurisdictional responsibilities, ensure independent oversight, uphold human rights, and guarantee sustainable funding. It would also spell out an orderly transition to a dual-policing structure.
The call for memoranda will run for two weeks, allowing citizens, professionals, civil society, security agencies, state and local governments, academics, and other stakeholders to contribute. Submissions will be reviewed and integrated into the draft bill, which will then be subject to further national consultation before being finalised and sent to the National Assembly.
The Working Group has adopted a seven-week work programme running from July 27 to September 14, 2026. The draft Executive Bill is scheduled for presentation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on September 3, 2026, with national consultations to follow before the final approval.
The new National Policing Bill will set out requirements for recruitment, training, oversight, funding, and transition arrangements to ensure credible, effective, and accountable policing nationwide.
“A proposed State Police Service must demonstrate that it has credible arrangements for recruitment, vetting, training, pay, pensions, equipment, custody, complaints, discipline, data, firearms control, independent oversight and financial sustainability before it begins policing,” Mr Gbajabiamila said.
The representative of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and Governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, who described State Police as a landmark reform, described the initiative as one of the defining reforms of President Tinubu’s administration.
Responding to concerns about federal overreach, he clarified that there is no Federal attempt to control State Police. He added that the proposed legislation is intended to provide an operational framework rather than centralise control.
Prince Lateef Fagbemi, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, said the proposed National Policing Bill is designed to guarantee the security of lives and property while ensuring that the establishment of state police does not become a tool for political persecution.
The Attorney-General added that states not immediately ready to establish their own police services would continue to benefit from the presence of the Federal Police until they meet the required standards.
Other participants at the meeting included the Inspector General of Police, Tunji Disu; President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Afam Osigwe; Chairman, Policy Advisory Committee, Justice Abdullahi Liman (rtd); Professor Olu Ogunsakin, Head, Nigeria Police Reform Secretariat; Senior Special Assistant to the President on Planning and Research, Nnadubem Moghalu; and Brigadier General Olutayo Muyiwa Adesuyi, representing the National Security Adviser.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) says it recorded a 30 per cent reduction in gas imbalance on the country’s Western Network following the conclusion of its first-half 2026 Nigerian Gas Network Reconciliation (NGNR) Workshop.
The workshop brought together gas transporters, suppliers, shippers and off-takers to reconcile gas volumes traded between January and June 2026, while introducing a Network Entry/Exit Point Measurement Infrastructure Audit Template aimed at improving metering accuracy and accountability across the gas transmission network.
In a communiqué issued after the workshop, the authority said participants also reviewed the performance of the Nigerian Gas Transmission Network, assessed progress on major pipeline infrastructure projects, and received updates on the ELPS Gas Shrinkage Factor and Hydraulic Modelling Project.
Discussions focused on addressing metering gaps, improving network visibility through Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) integration, and enhancing system reliability ahead of the commissioning of the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) Pipeline System.
The workshop adopted key resolutions, including the execution of outstanding Network Exit Agreements, mandatory submission of measurement audit templates and closer collaboration among industry stakeholders to improve network pressure management.
Speaking at the closing session on behalf of the authority’s chief executive, Mr Rabiu A. Umar, the Director of Transportation Systems and Networks, Mr Joseph G. Musa, said the biannual reconciliation exercise had become critical to promoting equitable gas transactions, transparency, investor confidence and efficient network operations.
Mr Musa noted that since the NGNR process was introduced in 2023, it had significantly improved gas measurement, strengthened regulatory compliance through consequence management, reduced operational imbalances and contributed to a more reliable domestic gas supply.
The workshop concluded with participants adopting the reconciled H1 2026 gas volumes, reaffirming the authority’s commitment to a transparent, efficient and reliable domestic gas market.
