Nigerian Customs: Laurette Onochie darts President Tinubu, accuses him of nepotism in tenure extension of Adeniyi

Former political aide to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari and former Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), chairman Lauretta Onochie, has accused President Bola Tinubu of blocking the promotion of Deputy Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs Service B.U Nwafor to the top position of the Comptroller General.

Onochie claimed that by extending the tenure of the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs Service, Adewale Adeniyi, Tinubu has knowingly blocked Nwafor from taking over.

Mr. Adeniyi was due for retirement in August after 35 years of service, but Tinubu on Wednesday announced the extension of his tenure, blocking Mrs. Nwafor who herself is due for retirement in October having reached the retirement age of 60.

DCG Nwafor from Anambra State, stood as the next in line to succeed Adeniyi.

However, DCG Nwafor has now been denied elevation following the recent one-year tenure extension granted to CG Adeniyi. Her retirement looms in October 2026, and with this maneuveor, the door has been shut on her.

Instead, DCG K.I Adeola is now positioned as next in line after Nwafor’s retirement. A succession plan that feels less like meritocracy and more like a calculated bypass of justice.

Reacting to a post on X, Onochie listed several reasons Nwafor was deprived of the job, with a particular emphasis on her state of origin, which she wrote in capital letters.

She posted, “Under Pres. @officialABAT, nothing is in her favour
1. She’s a woman
2. She has no husband in the villa
3. She has no boyfriend in the Villa
4. She has no brother in the Villa
5. She Is Not from Bourdillon
6. No Governor’s backing
7. SHE IS FROM ANAMBRA
This is Tinubu’s Nigeria.”