Key Takeaways
- APC chieftain Khamis Musa Darazo has called for performance-based tenure extensions for deserving senior officers of the Nigeria Customs Service.
- He commended the NCS for progress in revenue mobilisation, border management, and trade facilitation under the Federal Government's economic reform programme.
- Darazo stressed that continuity must remain merit-based, time-bound, and legally compliant to consolidate institutional gains.
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bauchi State, Khamis Musa Darazo, has urged the Federal Government to consider merit-based tenure extensions for senior officers of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) as part of efforts to sustain ongoing reforms. In a statement issued on Thursday, Darazo praised the service for significant advancements in revenue collection, border control, and trade facilitation under the current economic reform agenda.
Reforms Gaining Momentum
Darazo, a supporter of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, said the reforms have repositioned the Customs Service as a vital institution for generating non-oil revenue, facilitating legitimate trade, and strengthening national security. He noted that strategic direction from the Federal Ministry of Finance has encouraged a sharper focus on revenue performance, technology adoption, compliance, and coordinated border operations.
'Under the strategic direction of the Federal Ministry of Finance, Customs is demonstrating that effective revenue mobilisation and stronger border management can move together,' Darazo said. 'We are seeing greater attention to revenue performance, technology, compliance and coordinated border operations.'
The APC chieftain also welcomed the digitalisation and trade-modernisation initiatives of the service. He argued that efficient and transparent Customs procedures would reduce the burden on legitimate businesses while tightening controls against illicit trade.
A Call for Strategic Continuity
Darazo identified revenue generation, border security, and trade facilitation as areas requiring sustained attention. He explained that improved Customs revenue would create additional fiscal space for infrastructure, social interventions, and development programmes. He also called for closer cooperation between the NCS and other security agencies to curb smuggling and secure the nation's borders.
Against this backdrop, Darazo urged the government to consider performance-based continuity for senior Customs officers. Specifically, he proposed possible tenure extensions for deserving officers in the ranks of Deputy Comptroller-General (DCG), Assistant Comptroller-General (ACG), Comptroller (CC), and Deputy Comptroller (DC), where permitted by law and regulations.
He stressed, however, that such extensions must not become preferential treatment or indefinite tenure. Instead, continuity should be anchored on measurable performance, institutional needs, and the consolidation of reforms.
Protecting Institutional Gains
'We are at a critical stage of institutional reform,' Darazo said. 'Where members of the management team have demonstrated competence and contributed to measurable improvements, the government should consider continuity as part of responsible succession planning. The objective is not to protect individuals; it is to protect institutional gains.'
Darazo argued that a carefully structured extension could allow experienced officers to mentor younger personnel and facilitate a smooth transition to the next generation of Customs leadership. He proposed that any extension should be targeted, merit-based, time-bound, and subject to statutory approvals.
'A carefully structured one- to two-year continuity arrangement, where legally permissible and justified by performance, could provide room for mentoring, succession planning and the consolidation of major reforms,' he said.
He urged the Federal Ministry of Finance, the NCS Board, and other relevant authorities to assess leadership continuity based on performance, institutional requirements, and the national interest. Reaffirming his support for President Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda, Darazo said the success of economic reforms depends on sustaining institutional changes that deliver measurable results.
Why This Matters
Leadership stability in critical revenue-generating agencies is essential for Nigeria's fiscal health. Darazo's call highlights a broader policy debate about balancing institutional memory with fresh leadership, and it underscores the need to protect successful reforms that directly impact the nation's economy and security.