PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has demonstrated a consistent trend in extending tenures of heads of critical security and revenue-generating agencies.
A recent development involves the President’s approval of a six-month extension for Customs Comptroller-General Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, originally granted a one-year extension in 2025. This extension, lasting until February 2027, aims to enable him to consolidate the National Single Window Project and ensure an orderly succession.
President Tinubu appointed Adeniyi as Comptroller-General of Customs in June 2023, shortly after taking office.
Similar extensions are noted in uniformed and paramilitary services, such as Police and Immigration, highlighting a significant trend under the current administration.
These extensions, while defended by the government as crucial for completing necessary reforms and ensuring smooth leadership transitions, have sparked both praise and legal controversies. Critics argue that they circumvent retirement age limits, hinder younger officers’ career progression, and may foster cronyism.