Outspoken activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has reignited the national conversation around accountability in public service, calling for the immediate retirement of Nigeria’s top security chiefs whom he accuses of overstaying their legal tenure in office.
In a statement that has quickly gained traction across civic and political circles, Sowore identified Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun, Comptroller-General of Customs Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, and Comptroller-General of Immigration Kemi Nandap as officers who have surpassed the 35-year limit mandated by the country’s Public Service Rules.
“These men have crossed the line. According to the rules, once you’ve served 35 years or reached 60, you leave. Period,” Sowore said. “Their continued stay is not only unlawful, it’s a betrayal of the integrity expected from public institutions.”
Framing the issue as a litmus test for President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to reform and the rule of law, Sowore warned that flouting civil service rules at the highest level sends a dangerous message—that impunity is tolerated at the top while discipline is demanded at the bottom.
“The civil service is supposed to be the backbone of governance. If we allow it to be bent by politics or personal loyalty, we lose the very foundation of public trust,” he stated.
Sowore did not stop at allegations of rule-breaking. He accused the current administration of allowing ethnic and political favoritism to influence tenure extensions, calling it a symptom of deeper dysfunction in Nigeria’s governance architecture.
“This is not a coincidence; it’s deliberate. It is part of a pattern of selective appointments and tribal loyalty. You can’t build a democratic system when laws only apply to a few,” he said.
His comments have sparked renewed attention on the tenure of senior officials and the enforcement of retirement rules across federal agencies. Legal experts and policy advocates have echoed his concerns, noting that the Public Service Rules are clear: 35 years of service or 60 years of age—whichever comes first—marks the mandatory retirement threshold.
For now, the Presidency and the leadership of the affected agencies have remained silent, offering no comment on the status of the officers or the legitimacy of their continued tenure. But the silence, Sowore warns, is itself telling.
“Every time we ignore the rules, we weaken the institutions we claim to protect,” he said. “This is not just about three people. It’s about whether we are ready to respect the systems we created—or continue to destroy them from within.”
As the country grapples with insecurity, economic pressure, and calls for reform, Sowore’s intervention may force a reckoning with long-ignored questions of transparency, tenure, and fairness in the heart of Nigeria’s public service.