Former presidential aide Lauretta Onochie has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s decision to extend the tenure of the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Adewale Adeniyi, describing the move as a calculated attempt to block the ascension of the next in rank, Deputy Comptroller General BU Nwafor.
The presidency had on Thursday, July 31, announced a one-year extension for Adeniyi, who was due to retire in August 2025 after 35 years of service. The extension was confirmed via a statement signed by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, who said Tinubu made the decision to allow Adeniyi “complete the good work he has started.”
But Onochie, who served under former President Muhammadu Buhari and was at one time the Chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), took to social media to express outrage, alleging that the extension was driven by ulterior motives aimed at preventing DCG Nwafor, a woman from Anambra State from rising to the top job.
In a strongly-worded post on X (formerly Twitter), Onochie listed what she believes are the reasons Nwafor was sidelined:
Under Pres. @officialABAT, nothing is in her favour.
She’s a woman
She has no husband in the villa
She has no boyfriend in the Villa
She has no brother in the Villa
She Is Not from Bourdillon
No Governor’s backing
SHE IS FROM ANAMBRA
This is Tinubu’s Nigeria.”
Onochie’s post quickly sparked reactions online, with many users weighing in on the alleged marginalisation of women and the perceived political undertones of high-level appointments in the civil service.
DCG BU Nwafor, who is next in line after Adeniyi, is scheduled to retire in October 2026 upon clocking 60 years, which would have positioned her to take over the leadership of the Customs Service if Adeniyi had exited as originally planned.
President Tinubu appointed Adeniyi as Comptroller-General in 2023, shortly after assuming office. The extension now means he will remain in the role until at least August 2026 just two months before Nwafor’s mandatory retirement.
As of the time of filing this report, the presidency has not responded to Onochie’s allegations.