The apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, has strongly condemned the extension of the tenure of the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, describing the move as an act of nepotism, injustice, and institutional bias.
In a statement released on Saturday by the group's National Publicity Secretary, Dr. Ezechi Chukwu, Ohanaeze expressed deep dissatisfaction with the decision, which they say effectively robs Deputy Comptroller General (DCG) BU Nwafor, an Anambra State indigene, of her rightful elevation to the position of Comptroller General.
According to the group, President Tinubu’s recent approval of a one-year extension for CG Adeniyi, who was already due for retirement, undermines merit-based succession and strategically paves the way for DCG KI Adeola, who is next in line after Nwafor, to succeed Adeniyi in 2026 — a move that sidelines Nwafor unjustly, as she is due for retirement in October 2026.
“Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide sees this selective justice and situational ethics as a crown jewel of institutional unfairness, a peak of favouritism, and an ultimate display of blatant nepotism over merit, bureaucratic standard, and social conscience,” the statement read.
The organization decried what it described as “canonical ethnic profiling”, warning that such patterns erode the very foundation of national unity as enshrined in the Nigerian national anthem.
Quoting the anthem, Ohanaeze asked: “Is this the prototype of the Nigerian brand of brotherhood and patriotism? Can we continue to pretend that we are one people and one nation in the face of this canonical ethnic profiling?”
The group has therefore called on President Tinubu to reverse the decision, which they say amounts to “robbing Peter to pay Paul”, and to restore equity and fairness in leadership appointments.
“We therefore call on President Tinubu to revisit this obvious act of robbing Peter to pay Paul, which amounts to injustice, inequity, failure of public morality, and a bruise on national pride,” the group demanded.
Ohanaeze’s reaction underscores rising concerns over perceived patterns of marginalization against the South East region in federal appointments and strategic national institutions.
