Tinubu extends Customs Comptroller-General Adeniyi’s tenure

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

President Bola Tinubu has approved a final six-month extension of the tenure of the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Adewale Adeniyi, allowing him to remain in office until February 2027.

The extension was announced on Friday in a statement issued by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

Adeniyi’s current tenure extension was originally scheduled to expire on August 1, 2026. However, the Presidency said the additional six months would enable the Customs chief to consolidate key reforms, particularly the implementation of the National Single Window project, a flagship initiative aimed at improving trade facilitation and enhancing the efficiency of cargo clearance processes in the country.

According to the statement, the tenure extension is also intended to ensure a smooth leadership transition within the Nigeria Customs Service.

During the period, Adeniyi is expected to work closely with the NCS Board to oversee the promotion of qualified officers to the rank of Comptroller of Customs and implement the compulsory retirement of officers who have either attained the age of 60 or completed 35 years in service.

The Presidency noted that the arrangement would help strengthen institutional continuity and support orderly succession planning within the service.

Adeniyi, a graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University, joined the Nigeria Customs Service in the late 1980s and has risen through the ranks over a distinguished career spanning several decades.

He became a Deputy Comptroller in 2012, was promoted to Comptroller in 2017, and attained the rank of Assistant Comptroller-General in 2020. In January 2023, he was appointed Acting Deputy Comptroller-General before President Tinubu named him Comptroller-General of Customs in June 2023.

Since assuming office, Adeniyi has spearheaded a number of reforms aimed at modernising customs operations, boosting revenue generation and strengthening trade facilitation.

The latest extension ensures that he will continue to oversee ongoing reforms and strategic initiatives considered critical to the future of the Nigeria Customs Service before handing over to a successor in February 2027.