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OHANAEZE DECRIES EXTENSION OF CUSTOMS BOSS TENURE
The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Saturday, reacted to the tenure extension granted to the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adeniyi.
Ohanaeze described the extension by President Bola Tinubu as an “act of institutional injustice and ethnic bigotry”.
This was contained in a release by the National Publicity Secretary of Ohanaeze, Dr Ezechi Chukwu.
The socio-cultural Igbo group, in the release, accused President Tinubu of blocking the ascension of Deputy Comptroller General (DCG), BU Nwafor, from Anambra State, from occupying the top Customs position.
Quoting the statement, “President Tinubu’s decision to extend the tenure of CG Bashir Adeniyi, who is due for retirement, is a tactful manoeuvre to deny DCG Nwafor her rightful elevation to the rank of Comptroller General.”
Ohanaeze claimed that the extension had placed DCG KI Adeola, who is junior to Nwafor but would remain in service beyond 2026, as the likely successor to CG Adeniyi.
It is gathered that DCG Nwafor is due for retirement in October 2026.
Quoting Ohanaeze, “The development is the crown-jewel of institutional unfairness, peak of favouritism and ultimate display of blatant nepotism over merit, bureaucratic standard, and social conscience.
“This discriminatory act is a violation of the principle of national unity and the tenets of the Nigerian national anthem which echoes: ‘Though tribe and tongue may differ, in brotherhood we stand,’” the statement continued.
“Is this the prototype of the Nigerian brand of brotherhood and patriotism? Can we continue to pretend that we are one people and one nation in the face of this canonic ethnic profiling?”
The pan-Igbo group said the action not only undermined meritocracy but also contradicted the constitutional federal character principle designed to ensure equitable representation across the country.
Ohanaeze therefore called on President Tinubu to revisit “this obvious act of robbing Peter to pay Paul which amounts to injustice, inequity, failure of public morality, and a bruise on national pride”.
Ohanaeze questioned, “What has become of the constitutionally provided federal character principle?
