Customs Recruitment Sparks Outrage as Mahdi Shehu Labels Tinubu “Emeritus Professor of Nepotism”

Political commentator and rights activist Mahdi Shehu has launched a scathing criticism against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Comptroller-General of Customs, accusing them of deep-rooted nepotism and regional bias in the recently released customs recruitment, the 2025 Customs Cadet Officers shortlist, PulseNets learnt.

According to data obtained by PulseNets, Shehu alleged that the recruitment exercise heavily favoured candidates from the South, particularly the South-West, while marginalising the North.

He claimed that out of the 1,785 shortlisted applicants, 1,244 hailed from southern states, leaving only 541 slots for candidates from the North. About 803 names—nearly 45 percent of the list—were reportedly drawn from the South-West alone, he noted.

“The most visible and unforgivable political blunder of President Tinubu is his obsession with nepotism and reckless foreign loan accumulation — an attitude he not only inherited from Buhari but surpassed beyond imagination,” Shehu wrote.

In another part of his statement, the outspoken activist asserted that Tinubu’s pattern of governance reflects an entrenched preference for his kinsmen.

*“Bola’s nepotistic excellence is so evident and refined that one could rightfully bestow upon him the title of ‘Emeritus Professor of Nepotism,’” he remarked.

PulseNets reported that Shehu further accused the President of concentrating key appointments and national projects in the South-West, describing it as an intentional economic marginalisation of the North.

“It wasn’t enough that he handed the control of Nigeria’s wealth-generating institutions to the South-West. Even after awarding over 70 percent of capital projects to his region, he still feels entitled,” Shehu told PulseNets.

He continued by alleging that several federal agencies under Tinubu’s watch are now dominated by appointees from the South-West, a situation he claimed has deepened distrust and division across the country.

“He feels no remorse for crippling the North’s economy. Those agencies managed by his kinsmen now manipulate appointments and promotions to favour their own. There are endless examples,” he lamented.

According to Shehu, the latest Customs recruitment is a reflection of the administration’s deliberate bias and profiling of northerners. He argued that the Comptroller-General would not have released such an imbalanced list without the President’s knowledge or approval.

He warned that many northerners now feel alienated under Tinubu’s leadership, with some expressing frustration and resentment over perceived systemic exclusion.

“Northerners today feel hated, profiled, and unwanted in this federation. Many would rather live in a nation where they are not treated like beggars or second-class citizens,” Shehu said.

Also Read: Customs Recruitment: 3,466 officers promoted

Concluding his statement, the activist invoked a biblical reference from the Book of Psalms to caution those he accused of injustice.

“The wicked make evil plans against the righteous, but the Lord laughs at them because He sees their day coming,” he quoted from Psalms 37:12–13.

“When tomorrow comes, even the hypocritical northerners will look back and pray. No leader can unite a nation with such glaring and deliberate imbalance,” Shehu added.