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Presidency cites succession gaps, tasks Nandap, Nwakuche on sustaining reforms
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved an 18-month extension of the tenures of the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Kemi Nanna Nandap, and the Controller-General of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), Sylvester Ndidi Nwakuche, in a move aimed at ensuring leadership continuity and providing sufficient time for the appointment of their successors.
Under the new arrangement, Nwakuche will remain in office until May 26, 2028, while Nandap’s tenure will run until June 30, 2028.
The Presidency announced the extensions on Monday, October 19, 2026, following a recommendation by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.
According to a statement issued by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the decision was intended to address succession gaps in the two services and give their respective boards sufficient time to appoint successors.
Tinubu commended both service chiefs for the reforms recorded under their leadership and urged them to consolidate the gains.
The extensions will enable the two agencies to maintain their current leadership while preparations are made for succession, although the Presidency did not identify the specific vacancies or succession arrangements necessitating the decision.
Nandap’s tenure and immigration reforms
Nandap was nominated by President Tinubu as Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service on February 21, 2024, and confirmed by the Senate on March 1, 2024. She is the 19th head of the Service and the third woman to occupy the position.
A career immigration officer, Nandap is responsible for overseeing the Service’s operations in border security, migration management, passport administration and the enforcement of immigration laws.
Her leadership has been associated with efforts to strengthen border surveillance, deploy electronic border-management solutions, establish a command-and-control centre and improve migration-management systems.
In July 2025, she outlined several of these initiatives during an interactive session organised by the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation, highlighting the Service’s efforts to strengthen border governance, improve security coordination and enhance public confidence in immigration administration.
The extension also comes against the background of an earlier presidential decision to prolong her tenure. In March 2025, Tinubu approved an extension that moved her expected departure date from August 31, 2025, to December 31, 2026.
The latest approval therefore represents a further extension of her tenure, now carrying it through June 2028.
With Nigeria confronting persistent challenges involving irregular migration, transnational crime, human trafficking and the movement of persons across its extensive land borders, continuity in immigration leadership remains significant to the implementation of border-security and migration-management policies.
The additional period provides Nandap with an opportunity to advance the Service’s modernisation efforts while ensuring an orderly transition to her eventual successor.
Nwakuche and the correctional reform agenda
Nwakuche was nominated by Tinubu to head the Nigerian Correctional Service in December 2024 and confirmed by the Senate in March 2025.
He succeeded Haliru Nababa after the latter’s tenure expired.
Before his appointment, Nwakuche served as Deputy Controller-General in charge of Training and Staff Development.
He assumed leadership of the Service with a reform agenda focused on security, decongestion, infrastructure development, staff welfare, inmate rehabilitation, partnerships and institutional efficiency.
The Nigerian Correctional Service is responsible for the custody, rehabilitation and reintegration of offenders, as well as the administration of non-custodial measures under the Nigerian Correctional Service Act, 2019.
The legislation marked a significant shift from the traditional prison system by providing a statutory framework for both custodial and non-custodial services, including measures intended to promote rehabilitation and reduce reliance on imprisonment where legally appropriate.
At his decoration in December 2024, Nwakuche identified inmate welfare, correctional infrastructure, rehabilitation and collaboration with relevant institutions as priorities for his administration.
He also emphasised engagement with the judiciary, state governments and other stakeholders to accelerate the administration of criminal justice, expand non-custodial alternatives and improve conditions within correctional facilities.
These priorities are particularly important given Nigeria’s longstanding challenges with overcrowded custodial centres and the large number of persons awaiting trial.
Prolonged pretrial detention places pressure on correctional infrastructure and raises broader concerns about access to justice and the timely determination of criminal cases.
Nwakuche’s extended tenure is therefore expected to provide additional time for the continuation of the Service’s reform agenda, particularly in security management, rehabilitation, reintegration and collaboration with institutions across the criminal justice system.
However, the Presidency did not announce any new performance targets or additional reform conditions specifically attached to the 18-month extension.
Continuity and succession planning
The decision to extend the tenures of the two service chiefs highlights the importance the Federal Government attaches to leadership continuity in agencies operating within Nigeria’s internal security and justice architecture.
Although the Nigeria Immigration Service and the Nigerian Correctional Service have distinct mandates, both fall under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Interior and perform functions with significant implications for national security, public safety and the administration of justice.
The Immigration Service plays a central role in regulating entry into and departure from Nigeria, managing migration and securing the country’s borders. The Correctional Service, on the other hand, is responsible for the safe custody of persons lawfully committed to its care, their rehabilitation and reintegration, and the administration of non-custodial sanctions.
Their leadership responsibilities consequently require sustained coordination, institutional planning and the implementation of long-term reforms.
By approving the extensions on the recommendation of the Interior Minister, Tinubu has given both administrations additional time to continue their programmes while their respective boards make arrangements for succession.
The Presidency, however, did not disclose a timetable for the appointment of successors or provide further details on the process to be followed by the boards.
For Nandap and Nwakuche, the extension comes with a renewed responsibility to consolidate the reforms already initiated and demonstrate measurable progress in the delivery of their respective mandates before the end of their extended tenures.
Their continued leadership will also be assessed against the expectations of stronger border management, improved correctional administration, better institutional efficiency and enhanced public confidence in the agencies under their command.
The extensions will expire at different dates in 2028, with Nwakuche scheduled to leave office on May 26 and Nandap on June 30, unless further decisions are taken by the Federal Government.
