Head of the Sea Empowerment and Research Center (SEREC), Mr Eugene Nweke, has called for institutional stability and professionalism in leadership succession within the Nigeria Customs Service.Nweke made the call in an interview on Monday in Lagos, following media reports and discussions on the future leadership of the Service.
Nweke said, without prejudice to claims in the public domain, the key issue was preserving stability, integrity and the Service’s established succession framework.
He described the NCS as a strategic national institution whose effectiveness depends on predictability, continuity, discipline and respect for due process.
Nweke warned that any succession process that creates uncertainty or disrupts the command structure risks weakening morale, efficiency and institutional memory within the Service.
He noted that history had shown that abrupt leadership disruptions in structured organisations lead to loss of confidence, administrative dislocation and unintended operational consequences.
SEREC, therefore, commended the commitment of the Federal Government to a smooth and orderly transition, citing the approved extension for Comptroller-General Bashir Adeniyi.
Nweke said the extension offers an opportunity to consolidate reforms, strengthen succession planning and prepare the next generation of leaders for responsibilities ahead.
He insisted that succession discussions should rise above personalities, politics, regional interests or ambitions, focusing instead on competence, experience and reform capacity.
In line with the Arusha Declaration, SEREC boss urged NCS leadership to deepen professionalism, merit-based advancement and institutional integrity during the transition period.
Nweke said Nigeria’s trade reforms, including the National Single Window, cannot afford distractions from succession controversies or external interference in the process.
“SEREC urges stakeholders to prioritise national interest and let due process, fairness and institutional governance guide the emergence of the next Comptroller-General,” he said.
