A political pressure group, Arewa Youths Advocate for Good Governance has urged President Bola Tinubu to initiate strategic presidential intervention that will ensure stability in leadership composition of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).

The Youths, on Saturday expressed fear over the imminent leadership vacuum that might exist in a short time. National Coordinator of the group, Adamu Muhammad Abdullahi, said that “impending leadership vacuum in Nigeria Customs Service” gives the group a concern while the nation is faced with border insecurity.

Abdullahi said the group has carefully monitored developments within the Service and is deeply concerned by the imminent retirement of a “significant number” of senior management officers within the same period.

“Nigeria is currently implementing far-reaching economic reforms under the Renewed Hope Agenda. At such a delicate stage, institutions responsible for revenue generation, trade facilitation, and border management must enjoy stability, policy continuity, and experienced leadership,” the argued.

It its view, The NCS has evolved into one of the Federal Government’s strongest revenue-generating institutions. “It is also at the forefront of combating smuggling, protecting Nigeria’s borders, facilitating legitimate trade, and supporting national security operations.”

The youth group said that simultaneous exit of several experienced management officers, without a carefully managed transition strategy, could create avoidable leadership gaps, disrupt institutional memory, slow ongoing modernisation programmes, and affect operational efficiency at a time when Nigeria can least afford such uncertainty.

It urged the President to consider a strategic and lawful intervention that will preserve stability within the Nigeria Customs Service while ensuring that the remarkable gains recorded in recent years are not reversed.

According to them, such intervention may include adopting a phased leadership transition, preserving critical institutional expertise where legally permissible, and ensuring that succession planning is driven by national interest rather than administrative timelines alone.

“We are not advocating for individuals. We are advocating for institutional continuity,” the group said.

“We therefore urge the Presidency, the National Security establishment, the Federal Ministry of Finance, and other relevant stakeholders to undertake a comprehensive assessment of the potential implications of a mass leadership transition within the Service before irreversible decisions are made.

They commended President Tinubu’s commitment to institutional reforms while remain confident that the administration would continue to prioritise decisions that strengthen the nation’s economic architecture and security framework.