NAGAFF urges Tinubu to extend Retirement of Senior Customs Officers

NAGAFF Urges Tinubu to Extend Retirement of Senior Customs Officers

By Babatunde Aremu

The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to extend the retirement date of seasoned management officers of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) due to retire in December 2026 by one year.

The association made the appeal in an open letter to the President titled, “The Matter of Mass Due Retirement of Seasoned Management Officers of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).”

The letter, signed by NAGAFF Secretary General, Mr Godfrey Nwosu, and issued in Lagos on Wednesday, said the extension would provide sufficient time to train and prepare younger officers expected to take over from the retiring officials.
NAGAFF said the mass retirement of experienced Customs officers at the same time could have serious implications for the administration of the Service and the implementation of Nigeria’s fiscal and trade policies.

“Mr President, we write this letter to you from our strategic position in the maritime trade and transportation at the Nigeria gateways.
“We are worried that the officers should not be let go in one swoop because Customs is a very strategic organisation in Nigeria, dealing directly in the implementation of fiscal policies of Nigeria trade matters,” the association stated.

It warned that the simultaneous retirement of the officers could affect the Federal Government’s efforts to reposition the economy, adding that a one-year extension would help stabilise the transition.

The association acknowledged the efforts of the Comptroller-General of Customs and his management team in deploying younger officers to strategic positions within the NCS.

According to NAGAFF, the development further underscores the need for a one-year extension to enable the younger officers to gain adequate experience and prepare for the challenges ahead.

“The good news is that these young officers are willing and prepared to take the challenges at the appropriate time,” it said.
NAGAFF also raised concerns over the influx of fake and adulterated products into Nigeria, attributing part of the problem to perceived lapses in the implementation of the Single Window platform.
It alleged that agencies including the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), NAFDAC and NESREA had been denied aspects of their statutory responsibilities, warning that Nigeria risked becoming a dumping ground for substandard products from Asian countries.

The association said the NCS was already contending with the situation while maintaining long-established relationships with freight forwarding practitioners.

NAGAFF also commended President Tinubu for his decision to remove petroleum subsidy, pledging the support of its members for the administration’s efforts to revive the Nigerian economy.

The letter was copied to NAGAFF Founder, Dr Boniface Aniebonam; the Secretary to the Government of the Federation; the President of the Senate; and the Comptroller-General of Customs.