Hon. Leke Abejide Debunks SaharaReporters Claim, Says Customs’ 16-Year Generational Gap Forced Presidential Intervention
_ says President Tinubu picked 2009 set to stabilise service pyramid_
By Temiloluwa Samuel
Hon. Leke Abejide, member representing Mopamuro, Yagba East and Yagba West Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, has denied reports by SaharaReporters that he tried to influence the appointment of a junior officer to the rank of Comptroller General of Customs.
In a broadcast on Sunday, the lawmaker, who is Chairman of the House Committee on Customs and Excise, said his attention was drawn to the publication alleging his involvement in the selection of the next CGC from the rank of Deputy Comptroller.
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Hon. Abejide said he has no relationship with the officer recently appointed by President Bola Tinubu to take over from the current CGC. “I have no relationship with the person that the President has appointed to take over from the current situation. In fact, as a matter of fact, I don’t know his parents.
He has never been anything close to me. And I have worked with Customs for 34 years. I have never met him,” he stated.
He explained that the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, is facing a structural challenge caused by a 16-year generational gap.
According to him, officers with service numbers 41,000, 42,000 and 43,000 are all of the same age and years in service, and will retire by September 2026 after attaining 35 years in service or 60 years of age.
“The current deputy controllers of 2009 set, I accept that they take over from me… The current comptroller of Nigerian customs without anybody who is not compulsorily retired. Because they have attained the age of 35 years and 60 years of age,” he said.
Hon. Abejide described the situation as an inverted pyramid: “The pyramid of customs is very big up and small down. By September, none of them will be in service. They will be gone.”
He said the President’s decision to appoint an officer from the 2009 batch with service number 44,000 was to close the 16-year gap and stabilise the service.
“The only way to close it is to pick one of them from 2009 set, which the President has done. After them, no other number. Because I work with the number. So, we have 41,000 number, 42,000 number, 43,000 number, the next number is 44,000 number which is 2009 set. This is what comes next and that is the correct information,” he explained.
The lawmaker added that the decision aligns with civil service rules and was driven by President Tinubu’s goal to stabilise the service and close the gap with international standards. “We are doing things that we need to serve it to be stable, and then to close the gap of the United States of America, and that’s what the President is all about,” he said.
SaharaReporters is yet to respond to Hon. Abejide’s clarification at press time.
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