Dangers in Culture of  Tenure Extensions 

Ejiofor Alike argues that the breach of long-standing retirement regulations anchored on 35 years of service or 60 years of age in the civil service by the late President Muhammadu Buhari, which is being sustained by President Bola Tinubu’s administration, will expose the civil service to political interference, encourage corruption, mediocrity and executive impunity

As part of the impunity and nepotism that characterised his administration, former President Muhammadu Buhari had promoted the culture of extending the tenure of public servants in violation of service regulations that stipulate 35 years of service or 60 years of age for public servants for retirement from service.

It was obvious to close watchers of the administration that the primary motive behind this impunity was to reward loyalists, and deny certain individuals the opportunity to occupy top positions in a bid to sustain the dominance of a section of the country or an ethnic group.  

Tenure extension breeds mediocrity, stifles career progression, destroys professionalism, exposes civil service to political interference, undermines its credibility, and dampens the morale of the workforce.

International best practice requires that the tenure of an office holder should only be extended under exceptional circumstances where it is difficult to recruit a successor.

But Buhari abused this special executive privilege by extending the tenure of public officials recklessly.  

Barely two years into his administration in December 2017, Buhari extended the tenure of Nigeria’s military chiefs, citing their efforts in tackling Boko Haram in the North-east and addressing other security issues.

The military chiefs whose tenure were extended were the Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Gabriel Olonisakin; Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai; the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ikwe Ibas; and the Chief of Air staff, Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubakar, all retired.

Tenure extension during a period of war or crisis is necessary to give military chiefs and war commanders enough time to implement their war strategy and successfully bring the war to an end.

However, the worsening insecurity after the extension of the tenure of the military chiefs showed that the extension was not merit-based.

It was common knowledge that the remaining part of their service years was characterised by renewed insurgency in the North-east, escalation of kidnappings for ransom across the country, frequent mass abductions of Nigerian school children and train passengers, frequent security threats in Abuja, and the rise of separatist groups in South-east, and South-west, as well as unknown gunmen in the South-east.    

Buhari had also on February 4, 2021 extended the tenure of Mohammed Adamu as Inspector-General of Police by three months after he had clocked the mandatory 35 years in service on February 1, “to give room for the proper selection of a successor.”

Nigerians had wondered if it was difficult for Buhari to find Adamu’s successor from the pool of competent Deputy Inspector Generals of Police (DIGs) and Assistant Inspector Generals of Police (AIG) at Louis Edet House.

Buhari also extended the tenure of Usman Alkali Baba as IG.

Having attained the mandatory retirement age of 60, Adamu was supposed to have retired on March 1, 2023 during the general election, which started on February 25, 2023.

But in justifying the extension of his tenure, Buhari’s administration had argued that he would not be retiring midway into the general election.

Buhari had also approved the extension of the tenure of the Comptroller General (CG) of the Nigerian Immigration Service, Mr. Isah Jere by one month from April 24, 2023 to May 29, 2023.

Despite the damage tenure extensions caused in Buhari’s eight years, President Bola Tinubu has sustained this culture of impunity and political interference in civil service administration.

To ensure that the current IG, Kayode Egbetokun remained in office after attaining the retirement age, the bill to amend the Police Act was speedily passed by the Senate on July 23, 2024, following an appeal by President Tinubu to allow Egbetokun to continue to serve a four-year term.

However, if the IG’s tenure extension was backed by law, no law was cited to justify the brazen extension of the tenures of the Comptroller General (CG) of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Kemi Nandap, and the CG of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi.

Mrs. Nandap, who began her career in the NIS on October 9, 1989, was billed to retire in October 2024.

 Tinubu had appointed her as CG on March 1, 2024, to serve till August 31, 2025.

But in a strange twist, the president in March 2025, extended her tenure through December 31, 2026.

Similarly, the tenure of the CG of Customs is due to expire on August 31, 2025, but the president extended his tenure by one year.

In justifying this brazen act, the Presidency explained that the extension would enable Adeniyi to consolidate ongoing reforms and complete critical initiatives of the administration.

With this new narrative, retirement is no longer based on age or length of service as the president is now at liberty to extend the tenure of any official once he is satisfied with his performance.

Some analysts alleged ethnic motives for this extension, claiming that it was a deliberate act to deny Deputy Comptroller General (DCG), BU Nwafor the opportunity to head the customs.

They believe that by extending Adeniyi’s tenure to August 31, 2026, Tinubu has shut the door against Nwafor, who is due to retire in October 2026.

As sound as this argument may seem, many have also argued that no law stops Tinubu from appointing an Assistant Comptroller to replace Adeniyi on August 31, and retiring all the DCGs, including Nwafor.

They recalled that Buhari sidelined all the top officials of customs and appointed a retired Colonel to head the agency, an impunity that stifled career progression in the customs for eight years.

Reacting to the tenure extensions, human rights activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, had accused Tinubu of promoting ethnic favouritism in federal appointments, lamenting that Egbetokun, Nandap and Adeniyi have remained in office, despite exceeding the statutory 35-year service limit.

Sowore described the situation as “governance by tribalism,” calling Tinubu “the worst” in terms of promoting sectional interests over national unity and the rule of law.

Tenure extension has done more harm than good to productivity and the psyche of civil servants, and this impunity seems to be gradually eating deep into the civil service, potentially threatening industrial harmony.

Recently, labour unions rejected alleged attempt by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) to extend the tenure of the Permanent Secretary representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in the Ministry of Defence, warning that such a move would undermine public service rules and erode transparency in the civil service.

 President Tinubu’s administration should stop rewarding loyalists and their cronies by bending the civil service rules and undermining the credibility of the civil service.