Locked Out: How tenure extensions are killing opportunities for Nigeria’s future leaders, by Dr Tukur Madu Yemi
In a nation grappling with over 33% youth unemployment and a population where more than 65% are under the age of 35, it is both perverse and alarming that Nigeria’s most strategic public offices remain clutched by the old guard individuals whose tenures have long expired or who have reached the constitutionally mandated retirement threshold. This growing culture of tenure extension and reappointment beyond legal limits is not just an administrative anomaly it is a flagrant assault on justice, equity, and the democratic spirit.
Under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the systematic retention of public office holders beyond retirement age has become more than a pattern it is emerging as a defining feature of federal governance. Heads of parastatals, directors-general, security chiefs, and advisers are being retained by presidential fiat or behind closed-door waivers, despite the clear directives of the Public Service Rules (PSR), which prescribe retirement at 60 years of age or after 35 years in service, whichever comes first.
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A Disturbing Trend
Across key government institutions, seasoned officials whose tenures have legally expired are being quietly reinstalled, their stay in power prolonged under the guise of “continuity” or “national interest.” This includes heads of regulatory commissions, federal agencies, and security outfits appointments that ought to represent a generational shift or institutional renewal.
The controversial extension of former Inspector General of Police Mohammed Adamu by then-President Muhammadu Buhari in 2021 sparked nationwide outrage. Legal experts, retired officers, and civil society groups condemned the move as unconstitutional and demoralising to the ranks (Premium Times, Feb. 2021). Similarly, in June 2024, the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) raised fresh concerns over multiple tenure extensions under Tinubu’s administration, describing them as deliberate subversions of legality and meritocracy.
The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) rightly characterises this pattern as a “cycle of elite consolidation,” where power rotates among a privileged few, suffocating opportunities for innovation, inclusion, and national renewal.
The Justifications And the Reality
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Proponents of these extensions often cite the following:
1. Continuity of government policy, especially in sensitive sectors;
2. Rewarding loyalty, particularly from political allies and long-serving insiders;
3. The absence of ready successors, despite the abundance of capable professionals;
4. Efforts to maintain regional balance, especially in security and strategic sectors.
But these excuses are deeply flawed. They mask the lack of political will, the erosion of institutional planning, and the preference for political expediency over rule-based governance. The claim that successors are unavailable in a country of over 200 million people including thousands of experienced technocrats and administrators is not only insulting but intellectually dishonest.
Legal and Constitutional Violations
This trend is not just ethically problematic it is legally indefensible.
Sections 030302 and 020810 of the Public Service Rules provide no ambiguity on retirement age and duration of service.
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Section 14(3) of the 1999 Constitution demands fair representation in public offices, ensuring equity and inclusivity.
Tenure elongation, therefore, violates the law, tramples on the federal character principle, and excludes thousands of younger, competent Nigerians from ascending the leadership ladder.
The Far-Reaching Consequences
If allowed to fester, this culture of tenure manipulation will continue to poison Nigeria’s public service and sabotage reform efforts. The consequences include:
1. Career stagnation for junior officers and younger professionals;
2. Collapse of institutional succession systems;
3. Loss of morale among civil servants, who feel locked out of opportunities;
4. Public disenchantment and distrust in government appointments;
5. The entrenchment of political patronage and bureaucratic recycling.
At a time when nations are embracing youthful leadership, digital reform, and global best practices, Nigeria clings to outdated traditions that celebrate seniority over capacity, and loyalty over merit.
What Needs to Be Done
President Tinubu must chart a new course—one that reflects the true spirit of his Renewed Hope Agenda. Nigerians did not vote for a recycling of expired mandates, but for transparent, accountable governance.
To restore integrity and order to the public service, the following steps are imperative:
1. Enforce all retirement and tenure limits without bias or backroom exemptions;
2. Institutionalise transparent succession planning in all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs);
3. Establish mentorship programs to prepare younger officers for leadership transitions;
4. Publicly disclose any deviations from retirement laws, and subject such decisions to legislative or judicial review.
A Call to Nigerians
This is not just a bureaucratic issue it is a national emergency. Nigerians must resist the normalisation of tenure extensions and demand a merit-based system where leadership is earned, not inherited through political favouritism.
Civil society, academia, the media, labour unions, and the youth must collectively demand an end to public service as a retirement home for the politically connected. It must instead become a platform for transformational leadership, innovation, and national development.
The future of Nigeria depends not on who clings to power but on who we allow to lead next.
Dr. Tukur Madu Yemi, educationist and public affairs analyst, writes from Federal University of Kashere, Gombe State.
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