Reps push four-year tenure for Customs boss

The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Customs and Excise, Hon. Leke Abejide, has hinted at a potential amendment to the Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA) to introduce a fixed four-year tenure for any appointed Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC).

According to Abejide, such an amendment would provide the CGC with sufficient time to settle into office and effectively implement their strategic plans.

Speaking during an oversight visit to the Zone A, Federal Operations Unit of the Nigeria Customs Service, Abejide noted that the 2023 CEMA empowers the President to appoint a CGC from among officers not below the rank of Assistant Comptroller-General. He further suggested that such an appointment should be for a fixed term of four years, without being constrained by age or length of service. He added that the current legislation does not provide for such a tenure.

The lawmaker from Kogi, who was instrumental in the drafting of the current Act, revealed that the four-year tenure clause had initially been included but was removed by the Legal Department of the Service on the grounds that it conflicted with the existing civil service rules.

He stated: “We wanted to have a provision in the current Act for a four-year tenure for the CGC, but the Legal Department removed it, claiming it would not work. Yet, it is working in the Police.

“When you appoint a CGC, he requires time to implement his plans and drive reforms. If he is only able to serve for a year or two, perhaps due to retirement, what meaningful impact can he make?

“Therefore, we intend to amend the Act to restore that provision. We will collaborate with the Service’s management on this initiative.”

Abejide also informed officers that the construction of the zonal headquarters of the command is ongoing and is expected to be completed within 18 months to provide adequate operational space.

He, however, clarified that the proposed amendment is not aimed at extending the tenure of the current CGC but to ensure that anyone appointed to the role by the President will have a standard four-year term.

Meanwhile, the Comptroller of the Federal Operations Unit, Kola Oladeji, disclosed that the unit—being an enforcement arm of the Service—recently intercepted approximately 4,000 bags of foreign rice in a single operation, valued at about ₦294 million. Additionally, the unit foiled the illegal export of 6,160 and 4,410 pieces of donkey skin concealed in a 40-foot container, with street values of ₦6.709 billion and ₦5.420 billion respectively.

In a separate operation, the command intercepted five automatic shotguns and 993 live cartridges hidden in a luxury bus within the Lagos metropolis. The weapons have since been handed over to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons.

Furthermore, the unit seized 3,643 kg of cannabis sativa and Canadian loud at various locations, valued at ₦1.720 billion. The confiscated drugs have been handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

Oladeji revealed that in the first quarter of 2025, the command made 307 seizures with a street value of ₦9.921 billion, and generated ₦121.797 million in revenue.

At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Command, Area Comptroller Harrison Effiong reported revenue generation of ₦16.920 billion within the first three months of the year. The command also seized 142 parcels of cannabis worth over ₦290 million, which have been handed over to the NDLEA, as well as $648,000 and €182,760, which were turned over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).