Dr. Bashir Adewale Adeniyi ‘MFR’
By Frontline Reporters
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved a final six-month extension of the tenure of the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, a strategic move aimed at ensuring the completion of critical reforms and guaranteeing a seamless leadership transition within the Service.
The extension, announced on Friday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, will take effect from August 1, 2026, when Adeniyi’s current tenure is due to expire.
With the approval, the Customs boss will remain at the helm until February 2027, providing him additional time to consolidate far-reaching modernization programmes that have transformed the Service and strengthened its role in Nigeria’s economic development.
At the heart of the extension is the implementation of the National Single Window project, one of the Federal Government’s flagship trade facilitation initiatives.
The project is expected to revolutionize cargo clearance procedures, reduce bottlenecks at ports, enhance transparency, and significantly boost government revenue.
The Presidency said the extension would also enable the Nigeria Customs Service to conclude important institutional processes while maintaining stability within the organisation.
Adeniyi is expected to work closely with the Nigeria Customs Service Board to oversee key personnel matters, including the promotion of qualified senior officers to the rank of Comptroller of Customs. The exercise is aimed at filling strategic leadership positions and strengthening operational efficiency across commands.
The Service will equally carry out the mandatory retirement of officers who have attained the age of 60 years or completed 35 years in service, in accordance with extant public service regulations.
The decision is widely seen as a vote of confidence in Adeniyi’s leadership and the reform agenda he has championed since assuming office in June 2023.
Under his stewardship, the Nigeria Customs Service has recorded significant strides in trade facilitation, revenue generation, border security, stakeholder engagement, and technological modernization. His administration has also driven policies designed to make the Service more efficient, transparent, and responsive to the needs of the nation’s economy.
Adeniyi’s rise to the pinnacle of the Customs Service reflects a distinguished career spanning more than three decades.
A graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University, he joined the Service in the late 1980s and steadily climbed through the ranks, earning recognition for his professionalism and leadership.
He was promoted to Deputy Comptroller in 2012, attained the rank of Comptroller in 2017, and became an Assistant Comptroller-General in 2020.
In January 2023, he was elevated to Acting Deputy Comptroller-General, a position that paved the way for his appointment as Comptroller-General by President Tinubu in June of the same year.
With this final extension, Adeniyi is expected to bring several transformational initiatives to fruition, strengthen institutional capacity, and lay a solid foundation for a smooth transfer of leadership when he finally bows out of service in February 2027.
For many observers, the extension represents not just a continuation of leadership, but a deliberate effort by the Federal Government to safeguard the momentum of reforms that are reshaping the Nigeria Customs Service into a more modern, efficient, and globally competitive institution.
ADVERTISEMENTS
