The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) is set to witness a major personnel transition over the next two years, with a total of 1,516 officers scheduled for statutory retirement between 2026 and 2027.
The retirement exercise, which will affect officers across all cadres—from Deputy Comptroller-General (DCG) to Customs Assistant II—was outlined 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.
According to the documents, 825 officers are due to retire in 2026, while an additional 691 officers are expected to leave the Service in 2027 in line with statutory retirement regulations.
2026 Retirement List
The first circular, No. HRD/2025/048 dated September 19, 2025, contains the final list of 825 officers scheduled to retire in 2026.
A breakdown of the affected cadres shows that the Deputy Superintendent of Customs category accounts for the highest number of retirements with 285 officers, followed by the Superintendent of Customs cadre with 226 officers.
Other officers due for retirement include:
Assistant Superintendent of Customs I – 64 officers
Chief Superintendent of Customs – 61 officers
Chief Customs Officer – 53 officers
Deputy Customs Officer – 51 officers
Assistant Customs Officer – 46 officers
Assistant Comptroller-General – 13 officers
Assistant Superintendent of Customs II – 10 officers
Inspector of Customs – 8 officers
Deputy Comptroller-General – 5 officers
Customs Assistant II – 2 officers
Customs Assistant I – 1 officer
2027 Retirement List
A second circular, No. HRD/2026/020 dated May 26, 2026, contains a draft list of 691 officers expected to retire in 2027.
The Superintendent of Customs cadre tops the list with 200 officers, followed closely by the Deputy Superintendent of Customs cadre with 193 officers.
Other categories affected include:
Deputy Customs Officer – 81 officers
Chief Superintendent of Customs – 68 officers
Assistant Customs Officer – 57 officers
Assistant Superintendent of Customs I – 39 officers
Chief Customs Officer – 38 officers
Assistant Comptroller-General – 4 officers
Assistant Superintendent of Customs II – 4 officers
Customs Assistant I – 4 officers
Customs Assistant II – 4 officers
Inspector of Customs – 2 officers
Mandatory Pre-Retirement Leave
The Service directed all 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 dated March 20, 2001.
Officers were also instructed to submit their three-month pre-retirement notices to the Comptroller-General of Customs before their retirement dates.
The circular stated that all affected personnel must disengage from active service and proceed on pre-retirement leave three months before their effective retirement dates.
The 2027 circular further invited officers to report any errors, omissions, or legitimate complaints arising from the retirement list to the office of the Deputy Comptroller-General (HRD) on or before July 31, 2026.
To ensure effective dissemination, Zonal Coordinators, Area Controllers, and Unit Heads were directed to notify all affected officers.
Senior Officers Affected
Among the most senior officers affected by the 2026 retirement exercise are five Deputy Comptrollers-General:
Omale (SVC No. 41148) – retired June 7, 2026
Nnadi (SVC No. 43193) – retired March 3, 2026
Chiroma (SVC No. 42988) – retirement effective September 23, 2026
Adeola MRS (SVC No. 42972) – retirement effective December 23, 2026
Niagwan (SVC No. 41524) – retirement effective December 23, 2026
Several Assistant Comptrollers-General are also leaving the Service, including Egwuh, Umoh, Mohammed, Abe, Olomu, Olaniyan, Yusuf, Oladeji, Gaji, Adebakin, Bomodi, Nyam, and Abubakar, among others.
Retirements Not Linked to Leadership Succession
Reacting to speculations surrounding the appointment of a new Comptroller-General of Customs, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Customs and Excise, Abejide Leke Joseph, clarified that the retirements are purely statutory and not connected to any succession plan.
According to him, retirement after 35 years of service or upon attaining the age of 60 is a legal requirement under the Civil Service Rules.
“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 stated.
Abejide attributed the unusually high number of retirements to a prolonged recruitment gap within the Service.
He explained that a 16-year period of limited recruitment and stagnant promotions resulted in officers within the 41000, 42000, and 43000 service number categories advancing through the ranks at nearly the same pace and attaining similar levels of seniority.
According to him, this development created a top-heavy structure in which many officers are reaching retirement age or service limits simultaneously.
The lawmaker emphasized that the retirement of over 1,500 officers is a routine and legally mandated exercise rather than a consequence of any leadership transition arrangement.
Customs Yet to Comment on Replacement Plans
Efforts to obtain comments from the Nigeria Customs Service spokesperson, Abdullahi Maiwada, regarding plans to replace the retiring officers were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
Tinubu Extends Adeniyi’s Tenure
The development comes shortly after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved a final six-month extension of the tenure of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi.
The extension, announced by Bayo Onanuga, allows Adeniyi to remain in office until February 2027.
His previous tenure extension was due to expire on August 1, 2026, but the President approved an additional six months to enable him complete key reforms within the Service.
According to Onanuga, the extension will allow Adeniyi to consolidate the implementation of the National Single Window project and ensure an orderly succession process within the Customs Service.
During the transition period, Adeniyi will work with the Nigeria Customs Service Board to oversee critical personnel matters, including the promotion of eligible officers to the rank of Comptroller and the compulsory retirement of officers who have either attained the age of 60 or completed 35 years in service.
Adeniyi joined the Nigeria Customs Service after graduating from Obafemi Awolowo University in the late 1980s and steadily rose through the ranks. He became a Deputy Comptroller in 2012, Comptroller in 2017, Assistant Comptroller-General in 2020, Acting Deputy Comptroller-General in January 2023, and was appointed Comptroller-General by President Tinubu in June 2023.
The six-month tenure extension is expected to provide continuity for ongoing reforms while facilitating a smooth leadership transition within the Nigeria Customs Service.
ADEOLA KUNLE
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