Tinubu Extends Tenures of Correctional, Immigration Chiefs by 18 Months
President Bola Tinubu has approved 18-month tenure extensions for the heads of the Nigerian Correctional Service and the Nigeria Immigration Service.
The extensions cover Sylvester Ndidi Nwakuche, Controller-General of the Nigerian Correctional Service, and Kemi Nanna Nandap, Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service.
The Presidency says the decision followed a recommendation by Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo and is intended to address a succession gap in both services.
New Tenure End Dates
Under the approval, Nwakuche’s tenure will now run until May 26, 2028.
Nandap’s tenure will run until June 30, 2028.
The Presidency says the additional period will give the relevant board more time to complete the process of appointing successors.
That remains the government’s stated reason for the extensions.
Both Service Chiefs Were Appointed Under Tinubu
Tinubu nominated Nwakuche to head the Correctional Service in December 2024.
The Senate confirmed his appointment in March 2025.
Nandap was nominated to lead the Immigration Service in February 2024 and confirmed by the Senate the following month.
The Presidency says both officials have overseen reforms in their respective services and has asked them to consolidate those efforts during the extended period.
Nandap Has Previously Received an Extension
Nandap’s latest extension follows an earlier tenure extension reported to have run from August 31, 2025 to December 31, 2026.
The new approval moves the end of her tenure to June 30, 2028.
That makes the timetable for eventual succession at the Immigration Service an important governance issue.
What Succession Timetable Comes Next?
The Presidency says the 18-month extensions are intended to address a succession gap and give the board sufficient time to appoint successors.
The accountability question is therefore:
What succession timetable will the board now follow, and why was an 18-month extension considered necessary?
The answer matters because leadership transitions in major security and public-service institutions require clear planning, institutional continuity and transparent appointment processes.
The Two Services Operate Under Different Tenure Rules
The Nigerian Correctional Service Act provides for the appointment of a Controller-General and sets out a single five-year term, subject to applicable retirement limits.
The Immigration Act provides for presidential appointment of the Comptroller-General on the recommendation of the relevant board and subject to Senate confirmation.
It does not set out the same fixed tenure structure as the Correctional Service Act.
The two legal frameworks should therefore not be treated as identical.
IDNN has not established that either extension breaches applicable law, and no authoritative legal finding to that effect has been recorded in this production file.
The Accountability Test
The issue now goes beyond how long the two service chiefs will remain in office.
The key test is whether the additional 18 months produce an orderly and transparent succession process.
That means attention should turn to when the board begins the successor-selection process, what criteria will govern it and whether the eventual transition occurs within the new timetable.
What IDNN Is Watching
IDNN will monitor the role of the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board, any timetable for selecting successors, and any formal legal or institutional challenge to the extensions.
