About 950 officers and men of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), including Comptroller-General Kemi Nanna Nandap and several senior officers, are listed for retirement in 2026, raising concerns within the agency over leadership succession, career progression and staff welfare.
A nominal roll titled Nigeria Immigration Service – List of Officers and Men Due to Retire in Year 2026, obtained by SaharaReporters, contains the names and service details of officers scheduled to retire this year.
The document includes officers across various ranks, with details such as service numbers, dates of birth, dates of first appointment, current ranks, qualifications and retirement dates.
Nandap, the serving Comptroller-General of Immigration, appears at the top of the list. Her entry gives her service number as 9702 and lists her date of first appointment as October 10, 1989, her date of appointment to her current position as March 1, 2024, and her retirement date as October 10, 2026.
The list places her among approximately 950 officers scheduled to retire this year, although the available breakdown puts the total at about 948.
The inclusion of Nandap on the retirement list comes amid concerns raised by some officers over the succession process and the retirement of senior personnel while she remains in office following a presidential extension of her tenure.
According to the officers, the departure of senior officials has left the Service with a reduced number of serving Deputy Comptrollers-General (DCGs), while the continued leadership arrangement has affected the career progression of other officers.
“The Nigeria Immigration Service CGIS elongated tenure comes to an end today after 37 years in service,” a source told SaharaReporters.
The source added that Nandap had originally been expected to retire before her appointment as Comptroller-General and subsequently received an extension from President Bola Tinubu.
“Now her current elongation expires tonight and all her direct juniors are no more in service,” the source said.
The source further claimed that only two of the Service’s 10 DCGs remained in active service, while three DCGs had retired about two weeks earlier.
“Almost all the top hierarchies are going this year,” the source added.
Tinubu Extended Nandap’s Tenure Until December 2026
On March 31, 2025, the Presidency announced that President Tinubu had approved an extension of Nandap’s tenure as Comptroller-General of Immigration until December 31, 2026.
In a statement issued by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, the Presidency said Nandap had been appointed Comptroller-General effective March 1, 2024, with her initial tenure scheduled to end on August 31, 2025.
The Presidency said the extension was intended to enable her to continue overseeing the Service’s strategic priorities.
It also praised her leadership, citing improvements in border management, the modernisation of immigration processes and national security measures.
The announcement did not state that the extension exempted Nandap from the Service’s normal retirement rules.
However, her entry on the retirement list gives October 10, 2026, as her retirement date, creating a discrepancy between the date recorded in the nominal roll and the December 31, 2026, end date announced by the Presidency.
The list also records October 10, 1989, as her date of first appointment, although the Presidency’s 2025 statement said she began her career in the Service on October 9, 1989.
The discrepancy raises questions about how her retirement date relates to the presidential extension.
The available information does not establish whether the retirement date in the nominal roll was subsequently amended or whether another administrative arrangement applies to her tenure.
Senior Officers Also Listed For Retirement
The nominal roll includes two Deputy Comptrollers-General and six Assistant Comptrollers-General, alongside hundreds of officers in other cadres.
According to the breakdown of the document, the two DCGs are Umanah Ada James, listed for retirement on January 31, 2026, and Ayeni Afolayan, whose retirement date is September 24, 2026.
The six Assistant Comptrollers-General listed are Odikpo Ngozi, Sabo A. Rano, Halliday Azuka Mimi, Anugwa Echefulam Louis, Obianime Augusta and Bagari Dauda Mohammed.
Their retirement dates fall between March and September 2026.
The list also contains large numbers of officers in middle-ranking positions, including Assistant Comptrollers, Chief Superintendents and Superintendents.
The concentration of retirement dates among senior officers has heightened concerns about succession planning and the availability of experienced personnel to fill leadership positions.
Some officers who spoke to SaharaReporters said the departures had contributed to stagnation among their juniors, who were expecting to advance through the ranks as vacancies emerged.
Retirement List 2026 (2).pdf
“Stagnation is the case of all her juniors in service who were supposed to attain a certain rank before retirement,” one source said.
The officers also alleged that new appointments to senior positions had not kept pace with the departures.
Officers Raise Concerns Over Welfare And Career Progression
Beyond the succession question, some officers expressed dissatisfaction with what they described as inadequate improvements in staff welfare, professional development and recognition for outstanding performance.
They alleged that opportunities for foreign training and other forms of professional development had not improved sufficiently, despite increases in fees charged for immigration services.
“Now, her being there for the sake of just being there has no significant impact on the service,” a source said, referring to Nandap’s continued stay in office.
“From welfare, to improvement in educational development of the officers, most especially professional development and foreign trainings that most qualified officers were supposed to take. Everything as they say is in cooler,” the source added.
The officers also questioned why personnel who performed well in their assignments were not consistently recognised through formal commendations, promotions or other forms of career advancement.
They argued that the continued retirement of senior personnel, combined with limited opportunities for advancement, could affect morale within the agency.
Passport Fees And E-CERPAC Charges Cited
The officers also pointed to increases in passport fees and charges for the Combined Expatriate Residence Permit and Aliens Card (CERPAC) as examples of revenue growth that they said had not translated into commensurate improvements in staff welfare.
According to the information obtained by SaharaReporters, the fee for a five-year Nigerian passport rose from ₦25,000 to ₦50,000 and subsequently to ₦100,000.
The source also cited an additional online payment fee of ₦4,000, putting the total payment for the five-year passport at ₦104,000.
For the 10-year passport, the source said the fee increased from ₦50,000 to ₦100,000 and then to ₦200,000, with an additional online payment fee of ₦8,000, bringing the total to ₦208,000.
The source described the increases as substantial, arguing that officers responsible for generating revenue for the government should receive better remuneration and improved working conditions.
“They claimed we are a revenue generating agency of government and that the yearly increments of revenue are needed by the government, why are the people generating it not getting paid accordingly?” the source said.
The officers also cited the reported increase in the electronic CERPAC fee to $3,250, which they described as a 75 per cent increase.
CERPAC is issued to eligible foreign nationals authorised to reside and work in Nigeria, combining their residence permit and aliens card into a single credential.
Questions Over Leadership Succession
The retirement list places renewed attention on the leadership transition facing the Nigeria Immigration Service as officers across several ranks reach their scheduled retirement dates.
The issue is particularly significant at the senior level, where the departure of experienced officers can create vacancies that require timely appointments and succession planning.
The concerns raised by officers centre on whether the Service has adequate arrangements to fill those positions, ensure career progression for eligible personnel and maintain professional development and staff welfare.
When contacted for comments, Olufemi Salako, media aide to the Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, dismissed the allegations as propaganda.
“There is no issue about it. They are faceless issues, and if there are legal issues, they should go to court. Let them do what they want to do. We cannot react to something that is faceless,” he said.
“The second one, welfare issues. Are they asking anybody (if) they are not being paid? You know, people just come out with writing something.”
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