HOW CHAIRMAN OF HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES COMMITTEE ON CUSTOMS, LEKE ABEJIDE, IS BUILDING & CRASHING THE CUSTOMS HOUSE
Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Customs and Excise, Leke Abejide,
has dismissed claims that the reported emergence of a Deputy Comptroller of Customs, lge Olorunfemi, as the next Comptroller- General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), to succeed the incumbent CGC Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, would trigger the forced retirement of senior officers, insisting that all exits from the service are being conducted strictly in line with established public service regulations.
Abejide, in a statement on Sunday, described reports suggesting that the succession process within the NCS could lead to the premature retirement of top officers as misleading andmunfounded. He argued that the narrative was being fuelled by misinformation and failed to reflect the realities of the service’s personnel structure.
According to the lawmaker, no officer is being retired to create vacancies for any prospective appointment, stressing that all retirements currently taking place are statutory and based on provisions of the Public Service Rules.
“The Civil Service Rules are very clear. Retirement after 35 years in service ornat 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.
Abejide explained that the Nigeria Customs Service is currently grappling with the long-term consequences of a recruitment gap that lasted for about 16 years, creating significant distortions in its workforce structure and career progression system.
He noted that the prolonged period of limited recruitment and stagnant promotion opportunities resulted in a A large number of officers advancing through the ranks at roughly the same pace, leading to an unusual concentration of personnel within the upper hierarchy of the service. According to him, officers in the 41000, 42000 and 43000 service number categories rose through the ranks almost simultaneously due to the prolonged stagnation, creating a crowded senior cadre and leaving relatively fewer officers in the lower and middle ranks.
“There is a 16-year gap of non- recruitment and stagnant promotion. As a result, officers of the 41000, 42000 and 43000 service number categories have risen through the ranks almost simultaneously and now occupy similar levels of seniority” Abejide said, according to Ships & Ports
He added that the resulting imbalance has left the service top-heavy, with a significant number of officers attaining retirement age or completing the mandatory years of service around the same period.
The lawmaker disclosed that more than 1,500 officers are expected to retire under the provisions of Public Service Rule 100238, stressing that the development is a natural outcome of the service’s demographic structure rather than a consequence of any impending leadership change.
Abejide also rejected claims linking him to the reported incoming Customs chief, dismissing suggestions of family ties, political patronage or personal influence in the succession process.
He said he has no personal relationship with Olorunfemi and only became acquainted with him recently in the course of official engagements, adding that he has no knowledge of the officer’s family background or any previous association that could influence his position.
The committee chairman maintained that the ongoing succession process within the Nigeria Customs Service is intended to guarantee stability, continuity and institutional efficiency while addressing longstanding structural challenges created by years of recruitment gaps and workforce distortions.
He further stated that the process leading to the appointment of a substantive Comptroller-General after the six-month transitional tenure of the incumbent Comptroller-General, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, is being conducted in accordance with extant public service regulations and established administrative procedures.
Abejide urged stakeholders and members of the public to disregard speculation surrounding the appointment process, insisting that the service remains committed to professionalism, due process and the rule of law.