When such a strong verb like inevitable is used, certain variables are considered which make such situation sancrosant. It is on record that exactly two years ago Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR was appointmented as the Comptroller-General of Customs by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR while he was attending a high-level meeting of the World Customs Organisation (WCO) Council at Brussels in
June 2023. A breaking news reaching this media through the National Public Relations Officer, Assistant Comptroller Maiwada, has it that at the same Brussels, the CGC was at the 145th/146th WCO Council Meetings held on Saturday, 28th June 2025, at the WCO Headquarters in Brussels where he was unanimously elected as Chairperson of the WCO Council, the highest decision-making body in global customs
administration. The election was held during the concluding session of the 145th/146th WCO Council Meetings CGC Adeniyi succeeds Edward Kieswetter, Commissioner of the South African Revenue Service, and becomes the first Nigerian to hold this prestigious office since the WCO’s establishment. Reacting to the appointment, CGC Adeniyi said “this honour is not mine alone, it reflects the collective progress of the Nigeria Customs Service and the transformative agenda we’ve pursued over the past two years,” he stated. “As Chairperson, I pledge to uphold the core values of the WCO, while promoting innovation, equity, and deeper collaboration among member states in response to the complex realities of global trade.” Shortly after the Council Session, in a symbolic moment that captured the significance of Nigeria’s ascension, the South African flag was respectfully lowered while the Nigerian flag was hoisted at the WCO headquarters, a powerful gesture signifying Nigeria’s leadership as Chair of the Council. The scene was met
with applause from delegates, affirming Nigeria’s growing influence in global customs affairs and marking a proud moment for the continent. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, President Federal Republic of Nigeria congratulates CGC Adeniyi, the Board, management and staff of the Nigeria Customs Service on the recognition accorded Nigeria through this appointment. The President believes that the hoisting of the Nigerian flag at the WCO headquarters in Brussels marks a significant milestone. It is the first time the flag has been raised at the organisation’s headquarters since its founding in 1952. This event demonstrates the dynamism of the leadership provided by CGC Adeniyi, who has been the head of Service since his appointment two years ago. CGC Adeniyi cannot carry out the duties of the historic position from the rear. It is therefore inevitable that his tenure should be extended despite what the civil service law says. Extention of tenures in the Civil service, Polilical appointments, Corporate bodies, Private enterprises, Military and para-military is not a misnormer. They are borne out of extreme necessities that allows for the completion of ongoing projects which found more favours on the
administration of the present regime. The CGC Adeniyi MFR no doubt falls into this category. Before his emergence, the Nigeria Customs Service was almost at comatose where every efforts made by the National Assembly and the critical stakeholders for corrections on the ad-hoc leadership of his predecessor failed on deaf ears. We are all aware of the dictatorial approach the past leadership applied on certain lines of actions with careless abandon. The service gradually became uninteresting to both the officers and the general public. Today, a Daniel has come to judgment and things are glaringly changing for better. Awards and recognitions are the other of the day as CGC Adeniyi MFR is now cynosure of all eyes.
These recognitions are not just for a show-off but recognition for job well done. He did not just evolved as a political appointee. Right from his days as the National Public Relations Officer of the Service, he saw the future and prepared for it. It could be noted that one of the primary languages of World Customs Organisation at Belgium is French language, Adeniyi in his wisdom of tommorow took time to study the language. This is today a selling point for the agile Comptroller General. CGC Adeniyi MFR as soon as he came into the administration of Nigeria Customs Service behaved like the juvenile fantasy of a young boy who in his euphoria said if he becomes the CG, he would do this and that. As soon as the euphoria became a reality, he went into actions provided that the level playing ground was available. He started to correct the gap in ranks and file which was caused by non recruitment and non promotion of officers as at when due. This was complimented with serious welfare package to these
endangered officers. Their accommodation was looked into also. Already some idle structure were demolished for useful purposes. This alone requires the CGC to stay put to complete these projects before ungroomed successor may come in and abandoned these good projects. The CG is already putting the right pegs on the right holes in his appointments of Area Controllers and zonal coordinators. This in a place would grant him the opportunity of recommending a suitable officer to replace him. There are many projects in the cupboard under incumbation. CGC Adeniyi requires at least two more years to really nurture them to fruition for the good of the Service in particular and the nation generally. B'Odogwu is already making waves and requires nurturing. While going through opinion of many other critical stakeholders, one has to think aloud with the above views in support of CGC Adeniyi's tenure elongation. He might not be originally a candidate of the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, but he has performed as a credence to his regime. According to Mr. Chidera Oganuzor, the MD/CEO, Odest Global Resources Limited, a foremost Custms Broker and importer who added to the need to witness more of the services of CGC Adeniyi, he has this to say, “sometimes, good things happens to good people for good reasons. "The appointment of CGC Bashir Adewale Adeniyi is a round peg in a round hole. His appointment was well deserved, and still well deserved. He is coming from a background I don’t think any CG has emerged from, I mean through his background. He is a PRO per excellence. He emerged as a PRO, therefore, public relations is not a challenge to him. So, he knows how to interact and how to navigate," Oganuzor said. At the just concluded 145th/146th Sessions of the Customs Co-operation Council at the World
Customs Organisation (WCO) Headquarters in Brussels, the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, commended the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) for its remarkable modernisation and trade facilitation. The House of Representatives seeing a promising future in the present leadership of the Nigeria Customs Service moved to amend the Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA) 2023 to allow for the appointment of a Comptroller General of Customs for a four-year tenure. In his submission, Leke Abejide, the chairman on the Committee of
Customs and Excise in the house said “we wanted to have a provision in the current Act to make for a four-year tenure for the CGC, but legal department removed it saying it will not work. But it is working in the police. “If you appoint a CGC, he will need sometime to implement his programmes and ensure a reform of the system. But if he just spent one or two years and leave, maybe due to retirement, what impact can he make? So, we are going to work on amending the Act so we can return that provision to the law. We will work with the management of the service on this.” A look at some of CGC Adeniyi's accomplishments include: Conferment of National Honour of Member of the Order of Federal Republic (MFR) by His Excellency Mohammadu Buhari GCFR, the then President of Federal Republic of Nigeria in October 2022; Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, August 2022; Comptroller General of Customs’ Award for seizure of $8,065,612 million cash at Murtala Mohammed InternationalAirport, January 2020; Large College Crest Award for Excellence in Service as Deputy Commandant, NCCSC, Gwagwalada December 2019. Others are World Customs Organization Award of Excellence as Project Team Leader, Securité Par Collaboration (SPC++), a Customs Regional Security Project, January 2018; Jointwinner of Burson-Marsteller Award for the Best Research Project on”Reputation Management in Nigeria Customs Service” in partial fulfillmentof the award of Masters of Science in Communications, USI, Lugano Switzerland, November 2013. CGC Adeniyi MFR was until his appointment, the DCG in charge of the Strategic Research and Policy of the NCS. In that capacity, he coordinated engagements with International
Organizations including; World Customs Organization (WCO), World Trade Organization (WTO), United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), World Bank (WB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) He also coordinated Customs bilateral and multilateral trade relations and Supervised the implementation of emerging issues within Customs including Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), Data Analytics and Environment Protection. As head of Research and Policy, he was responsible for the development of the Strategic Plan for Customs, as well as, the coordination of Monitoring and Evaluation of its Plan implementation. Before then, he was an AssistantComptroller-General of Customs between February 2020 – January 2023. Between April 2017 and February 2020, he was at some point the Customs Area Comptroller of Murtala
Mohammed International Airport Command which is one of the most important Commands of the Service. He participated in all Governing Council meetings of the World Customs Organisation in Brussels, Belgium from 2010-2019 and worked closely with many past CGCs. At the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Saturday, 6 July 2024, His Excellency President Ahmed Bola Tinubu GCFR honoured CGC Adeniyi with the “Outstanding Revenue Collection” accolade at the Nigeria Excellence Award in Public Service (NEAPS). The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, representing President Tinubu, emphasised that the awards were about embedding a culture of recognition and reward in the public service ethos. He conveyed the president’s message that public institutions are not personal enterprises and that public servants are employees of the Nigerian people. Nigerian Maritime Journalists, recognised the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, with the award of the “Iconic Maritime Personality of the Year 2024”. He was honoured with the Sun Newspaper Public Service Award, recognising his leadership and contributions to national development. The event, took place at Lagos on Saturday, 1 March 2025, and was attended by dignatries where Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu handed him the award plague. Another recent award is “Media Promoter and Advocate of Press Freedom Award” which was given to him during the 70th Anniversary Gala/Award Night of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), held on Saturday, June 21, 2025. On Friday, 11 April 2025, in Victoria Island, Lagos, CGC Adeniyi's outstanding leadership, earned him the Public Sector Icon Award at the 13th edition of the Vanguard Personality of the Year Award. Born on January 19th, 1966, CGC Bashir Adewale Adeniyi hailed from Modakeke, Ife East LGA of Osun State, Nigeria. He is a 1987 graduate of the University of Ife, Ile-Ife, Nigeria, now Obafemi Awolowo University, where he bagged a Bachelor of Science in International Relations. He also obtained a Master of Communication Science from USI, Lugano, Switzerland, in 2013. He was enlisted into the Nigeria Customs Service as a Cadet officer in 1990. After his training, he was posted to TinCan Island Port, Apapa Lagos, as an Assistant Superintendent from March 1991 to May 1996. In June 1996, he was redeployed from Tincan Island Port, Apapa Lagos, to the then Economic Relations Research and Planning Department Customs Headquarters, Abuja, where he worked until February 2001. In March 2001, he was appointed Customs Public Relations Officer, a post he held until December 2016, when he was deployed to Apapa Port Area Command, Lagos, from December 2016
– March 2017. He served as the Deputy Commandant, Nigeria Customs Command and Staff College, Gwagwalada, Abuja, from March 2017 – July 2019. From August 2019 to February 2020, he served as a Customs Area Controller at Murtala Mohammed International Airport Command, Lagos. He was the Commandant, Nigeria Customs Command and Staff College Gwagwalada, Abuja, from February 2020 until his appointment as the Ag. Deputy Comptroller General in charge of Strategic Research and Policy on 12 January 2023 and later confirmed by the Nigeria Customs Service Board during its 57th regular meeting on 4th May 2023. He was appointed as the Acting Comptroller General of Customs by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR on 19th June 2023 and was confirmed as substantive 31st Comptroller General of Customs on 19th October 2023.
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