A total of 1,516 officers from the Nigeria Customs Service are scheduled to retire over the coming two years. Official documents confirm that 825 employees will depart in 2026, followed by 691 in 2027. These lists, distributed by the Human Resource and Development Department and signed by Comptroller A.A. Bazuaye, encompass personnel ranging from customs assistant II to deputy comptroller-general.
Affected staff members must follow protocols dictated by Public Service Rule 100238, which requires them to begin three months of pre-retirement leave before their official exit date. This organizational change follows the recent six-month tenure extension granted to Comptroller-General Bashir Adewale Adeniyi by President Bola Tinubu. With this extension, the leadership position will become open in half a year.
Meanwhile, Leke Abejide, chairman of the House Committee on Customs, has refuted public claims suggesting he is attempting to manipulate succession plans by placing family members in key positions.
