The axiom, “whatever has a beginning must have an end”, confirms its undisputed natural reality within the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) at present; a whopping 1,170 officers and men are due for retirement between now and September 2026
By Our Correspondent
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) is challenged by a gale of retirement. Information available to Tentacle indicates that between December 2024 and September 2026, a total of 1,170 officers of customs will be retiring as a result of having attained the statutory 60 years of age or having worked 35 years in active service.
Documents sighted by Tentacle show that a total of 379 staff of the NCS will retire in 2025. This number includes a total of two Deputy Comptrollers General (DCGs), one acting DCG, four Assistant Comptrollers General (ACGs), 44 Comptrollers, 40 Deputy Comptrollers (DCs) and 55 Assistant Comptrollers (ACs).
Others include, 40 Chief Superintendents of Customs (CSCs), 43 Superintendents of Customs (SCs), 85 Deputy Superintendents of Customs (DSCs), 53 Assistant Superintendents of Customs (ASC1), seven ASC 11 and five Inspectors of Customs (ICs).
In a Circular number HRD/2024/046 dated May 7, 2024 titled “List of Officers/Men for Statutory Retirement in Year 2025”, signed by acting Comptroller Establishment MA Yusuf on behalf of the DCG Human Resource Department (HRD), the NCS detailed the Service numbers, ranks, names, condition for retirement, dates of birth and dates of enlistment of the affected officers into the Service. It also detailed dates of the affected officers’ compulsory pre-retirement three months leave as well as dates of their final exit from the Service.
In yet another Circular emanating from the Service’s HRD dated March 24, 2025 with number HRD/2025/012, also entitled “List of Officers/Men for Statutory Retirement in Year 2026”, signed by acting Comptroller Establishment, N Mustapha for DCG HRD, the NCS also detailed the particulars of officers who will be due for retirement in 2026.
The circular indicates that a total of 791 officers of the customs will be retiring next year. This number comprises three DCGs, seven ACGs, 45 Comptrollers, 54 DCs, 53 ACS, 49 CSCs and 152 SCs.
Others are 274 DSCs, 134 ASC1, 11 ASC11, six ICs, two CA1 and one CA11. The exit of these officers is expected to create huge vacuum in the leadership of the NCS which its Comptroller General, Adewale Adeniyi had assured that it would not affect the Service negatively because the new generation officers have been equipped to take over the mantle of leadership from the outgoing officers.
Between 1995 and 2008, there were no recruitment into the NCS which created the leadership gap being experienced in the Service at present. Thus, as the old officers will be retiring in droves between now and 2027, the youthful officers are insisting that they are qualified and have the needed capability to run the Service even better than their retiring seniors.
As the mass retirement fire rages, investigation carried out by this medium revealed that majority of the retiring senior officers now prefer to defy the mandatory three months retirement leave, instead preferring to spend the time in office in disregard to the nation’s Civil Service Rule. Efforts to get the reaction of the National Public Relations Officer (NPRO), Abdullahi Maiwada failed as his phone was switched off at the time of filing this report.
