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100 days in office: Appreciative stakeholders doff hats for Wale Adeniyi as CGC

—he is the best thing to have happened to Customs –Abdulazeez— he could emerge as the best CGC ever– Akpunonu—-he is a communication strategist –Aniebonam— he is a thoroughbred professional — Tanko .

The Eyewitness reporter
It was a flurry of tributes, commendations and applause by the critical maritime stakeholders for Adewale Adeniyi, the acting Comptroller General of Customs.
Adeniyi, who was appointed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on June 19th, 2023 to superintendent over the Nigeria Customs Service, marked his first 100 days in office last week.
It was a momentous 100 days of innovative leadership, reformative policies, extensive collaboration with a wide range of stakeholders, inspiring leadership and rejuvenating action that drew applause from the critical stakeholders.
The visibly elated industry operators, especially the confraternity of freight forwarders, were unsparing in their conviction that Adeniyi has brought fresh air to the Nigeria Customs Service.
They were unanimous in their declaration that the new Sheriff in the customs has so far done well.
Babatunde  Mukaila Abdulazeez, the former  National Secretary of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents ( ANLCA) who was also the immediate past Sole Administrator of the troubled association, couldn’t hide his feelings over the inspiring leadership of Adeniyi.
“It is a personal roller coaster feeling for me. We have never had it so good.”, he declared when he was asked to assess the performance of Adeniyi in his first 100 days in the saddle as the CGC.
Ada Ozomena Akpunonu, another frontline freight forwarder and a top-notch member of the ANLCA, was no less impressed by the performance of Adeniyi as the CGC.
“He could eventually emerge as the best CGC customs ever had” she declared.
Ibrahim Tanko, the Vice President, the Western Zone of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) who is also the National Coordinator of the 100 compliance team of the association, also acknowledged the uncommon professional ingenuity of the new CGC.
“He has done well so far”, he stated tersely.
Dr Boniface Aniebonam, the legendary founder of NAGAFF was no less enamoured by the sparkling leadership qualities of Adeniyi as displayed within his first 100 days in office.
“He is a communication strategist “, he declared as a matter of fact.
It was not however praises galore as some of these stakeholders have some reservations and offered advice on how the new CGC could scale up his game to improve on his laudable achievements.
Babatunde Mukaila Abdulazeez
“It is a personal roller coaster feeling for me. We had never had it so good.
Wale has shown that he has the capacity and what it takes to take Nigeria Customs to the next level.
He has shown that Nigeria can be at par with the rest of the advanced world in the deployment of trade tools.
In the first 100 days, he has shown uncommon courage, commitment and uncanny knowledge of customs operations and processes that are meant to facilitate trade.
For instance, he introduced what is called the Advance Ruling which holds Customs officers accountable for whatever their position is on pre-importation requests.
I can tell you that it takes courage to do that as no officer would want to be held responsible for his action.
But Adeniyi has done that.
He was the first CG to bell the cat on this novel idea. This shows his courage and passion to transform customs.
Also, he introduced another novel idea by partnering with the Japanese government to establish a laboratory for Nigeria Customs.
The issue of argument on chemical imports will be a thing of the past. This will not only help the customs but the NAFDAC as well.
Adeniyi, in his first 100 days in office, has shown us that he knows what needs to be done and that he is a core professional customs officer.
We can only pray for him to succeed. He has put on the table accountability and transparency.
Ada Ozomena Akpunonu
Wale is a professional customs officer and we all know his rich antecedents.
Unfortunately, he came at a time when Nigeria’s economy is in comatose. This will make his task a bit difficult.
For instance, the exchange rate is too high and the Customs duties are equally high which have both combined to make goods clearance at the port very exorbitant.
I hear that it may soon take an average of N10 million to clear one forty-foot container. Where will people get this kind of money from?
The government should help Adeniyi to succeed by putting policies and programmes that are business-friendly and help to promote trade.
Wale is a team player. He carries everyone along.
Through the deployment of his Area Controllers, he has shown the depth of his managerial acumen because his men at the Area Commands are square pegs in square holes.
By the time he is confirmed as the CGC, he will perform wonders. The atmosphere in the customs now is that of conviviality and sanity.
If not for the instability of the naira and the bastardized economy, Wale could emerge as the best CGC ever.
Ibrahim Tanko  
Wale is doing well as the CGC.
However, an area of concern to me is where he transferred revenue officers from their area of core competence to enforcement and brought enforcement officers to come and man revenue units.
This may affect the revenue generation of the customs because the enforcement officers put in the revenue units do not understand anything about tariffs.
I think he should have given them training before putting them there. Wale will do better if he puts officers in positions in which they are best suited.
However, he has done well in terms of reducing the bottleneck in clearance procedures by reducing the number of units.
For instance, he has disbanded the notorious CG strike force as well as border drills.
He is also working hard to restore the core values of the Federal Operations Units ( FOUs) of the service by enhancing their professionalism.
He is also doing well in the area of checking the excesses of officers.
He is also doing well in attending to pending cases such as seizures, detentions, dismissals and suspensions.
However, I would like him to define and delineate the functions of Customs Police, FOU and Provosts.
Their functions and duties should be well-defined and clearly stated to avoid overlap and clash.
Dr.  Boniface Aniebonam
Wale is a master communication strategist. But unfortunately, he is not communicating well.
I am a Customs officer and a founder of NAGAFF. He needs to feel the pulse of port operations and operators from critical stakeholders in the industry.
He has to address them to sell his mandate to the people.
He should visit ANLCA and NAGAFF, the two frontline associations of freight forwarders where he can discuss revenue, suppression of smuggling activities, trade facilitation and other customs operations. However, I commend him on the disbandment of the CG strike force.
The interventionist squad had abused the customs process under previous customs administrations.
We appreciate him for that. He should also take a very strong stance against avoidable trade alerts from different customs units.
This does not facilitate trade.
He should coordinate and hamonise the alert system and I know as a listening officer, he shall look into this disturbing issue.
He should also take a very strong exception to the wastage of human resources at the zonal offices as a core professional customs officer.
The zonal offices of customs must be functional and proactive while the headquarters should be for policy formulation.
There are lot to still be done.
However, his first 100 days in office are well and good.
He should, however, contact critical stakeholders and partner them by using established platforms such as ANLCA and NAGAFF to reach out to the trading public.
His 100 days in office have been avoidably aggressive in revenue target and collection. But the modern-day customs practice is not about revenue but trade facilitation.
If you raise the compliance level of the trading public, this will lead to high revenue. He should de-emphasize revenue and emphasize trade facilitation which leads to high revenue.
You don’t destroy trade because of your pursuit of revenue.
However, the stakeholders, despite their varying views, were unanimous in their assessment of Wale Adeniyi’s first 100 days in office as the CGC.
They all chorused their agreement that the new sheriff in town has raised the bar in customs administration and put the service on the path of greatness, professionalism, public acceptance and global recognition never witnessed in the over 100 years of the existence of the revenue agency in the country.
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Customs

Ogun Customs spurns claims of Smugglers’ takeover of Idiroko–Sango Ota trading Route

Funso OLOJO, Editor

The Ogun I Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has dismissed as false reports alleging that smugglers had taken over the Idiroko–Sango Ota trading route in Ogun State, describing the claims as a deliberate misrepresentation of a traffic incident.
In a statement issued by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Superintendent of Customs (SC) Chado, the Command clarified that the traffic gridlock on the route resulted from the breakdown of an articulated commercial trailer after it fell into a badly deteriorated section of Atan Road, temporarily obstructing the free flow of traffic.
According to the Command, the vehicles caught in the ensuing congestion were legitimate commercial trucks transporting red palm oil to various local markets and had no connection whatsoever with smuggling activities.
It explained that the large number of heavy-duty trucks trapped in the gridlock may have led some members of the public to wrongly conclude that smugglers had taken over the road.
“The reports that smugglers blocked the road are inaccurate. The disruption resulted from a road accident and poor road conditions. The vehicles involved were lawful commercial vehicles transporting red palm oil for legitimate trade,” Chado stated.
The Command urged journalists, social media users and the general public to verify information before disseminating reports capable of creating unnecessary panic or undermining public confidence in security agencies.
Observers within the border trade sector noted that the allegation does not reflect the prevailing security situation within the Ogun I Area Command, where anti-smuggling operations have been intensified under the leadership of the Acting Customs Area Controller, Comptroller O.O. Afeni.
Since assuming office, Comptroller Afeni has strengthened intelligence-driven surveillance, enhanced collaboration with other security agencies and host communities, and sustained pressure on economic saboteurs operating along the Ogun border corridors.
These measures, according to stakeholders, have resulted in significant seizures of prohibited goods and reinforced the Command’s resolve to safeguard Nigeria’s economy and territorial integrity.
Maritime and border trade stakeholders also cautioned against the spread of unverified information capable of undermining the efforts of security personnel or creating a false impression of lawlessness in border communities.
They stressed that while combating smuggling remains an ongoing responsibility, responsible and accurate reporting is equally critical to ensuring that operational achievements are not overshadowed by misinformation.
The Ogun I Area Command reaffirmed its commitment to sustaining its anti-smuggling campaign while facilitating legitimate cross-border trade in line with the statutory mandate of the Nigeria Customs Service.

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Customs

Customs puts smiles on faces of 4,237 retirees as Adeniyi releases N7.61bn to 9 PFAs for payment

Funso OLOJO, Editor

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has disbursed N7.61 billion to nine Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) for the payment of retirement benefits to 4,237 retired Customs officers, reaffirming its commitment to the welfare of its former personnel.

Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed this during a dialogue with retired officers held on Tuesday, July 14th, 2026, where he announced that the funds had already been released to the PFAs for immediate credit to the retirees’ individual Retirement Savings Accounts.

According to the beneficiary breakdown, Premium Pension has the highest number of beneficiaries with 2,268 retirees, followed by Access-ARM Pension Managers with 1,223.

Leadway Pensions will pay 403 retirees, TrustFund Pensions 156, FCMB Pensions 144, Veritas Glanvills Pensions 28, Norrenberger Pensions 11, while Fidelity Pension Managers will pay four retirees, bringing the total number of beneficiaries to 4,237.

Addressing the retirees, Adeniyi stressed that the Customs Service remains committed to ensuring the welfare of both serving and retired officers, noting that the institution’s future is closely tied to how it treats those who devoted their careers to its service.

He said the Service must remain financially strong and capable of meeting its obligations, emphasizing that retirees deserve dignity and timely access to their benefits.

The CGC also called for sustained engagement between the Service and its retirees, explaining that the dialogue was convened to address concerns, foster mutual understanding, and dispel misinformation.

“I acknowledge your concerns and suggestions, and it is in view of this that we convened this dialogue to promote better understanding and reduce the effect of rumours and unofficial information on the relationship between the Service and its retired personnel,” Adeniyi said.

Also present at the meeting were the Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Human Resources Development, DCG Tijjani Abe, and other members of the Customs Management Team, who assured the retirees that the issues raised would receive due consideration at both the Board and Management levels.

The retired officers commended the Comptroller-General and the Management for creating a platform for direct interaction, describing the engagement as timely and beneficial.

They appealed for the dialogue to become a regular feature to strengthen the bond between the Service and its retired workforce.

The meeting comes against the backdrop of ongoing Federal Government efforts to improve pension administration, following plans to review relevant statutory provisions, including Section 15(4) of the Pension Reform Act 2014, in line with Section 173(3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), with the aim of enhancing the welfare of pensioners across the public service.

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Customs

Apapa Customs intercepts ₦26.57bn cannabis hidden in imported vehicles

Gloria Odion Maritime reporter 

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Apapa Area Command, has dealt a major blow to drug trafficking networks with the interception of 4,143.5 kilograms of Cannabis Indica valued at ₦26.57 billion, cleverly concealed inside a 40-foot container carrying imported used vehicles.

The illicit consignment was uncovered during a joint examination conducted by officers of the Nigeria Customs Service and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Command’s Enforcement Unit.

The interception followed credible intelligence, which prompted the Customs Area Controller (CAC), Comptroller Emmanuel Oshoba, to order a comprehensive examination of 40-foot container No. FANU1933352.

The operation, carried out on Friday, July 10, 2026, led to the discovery of one of the largest cannabis seizures recorded at the nation’s premier port.

The container had been declared to contain three used vehicles—a 2015 red Nissan Micra, a 2019 black Toyota Corolla S, and a 2015 grey Toyota Corolla.

However, a meticulous inspection revealed 162 bags containing 8,287 parcels of Cannabis Indica, each weighing 500 grams, bringing the total weight of the narcotics to 4,143.5 kilograms.

Investigators found that four of the bags had been concealed inside the red Nissan Micra, while the remaining 158 bags were strategically hidden beneath the container floor and in the spaces between the three vehicles.

No narcotics were found inside either the black Toyota Corolla S or the grey Toyota Corolla.

Speaking on the seizure, Comptroller Oshoba described the interception as another demonstration of the Apapa Area Command’s unwavering resolve to prevent the importation of prohibited items, particularly illicit drugs that threaten public health, national security, and the economy.
He noted that the successful operation aligns with the zero-tolerance policy of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Dr. Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, against smuggling and all forms of illicit trade.

The Customs Area Controller reiterated the Command’s commitment to facilitating legitimate trade while sustaining robust enforcement against prohibited and restricted imports.

He also commended the officers involved for their professionalism, vigilance, and dedication.

“This seizure once again demonstrates our unwavering commitment to ensuring that only legitimate trade thrives at Apapa Port,” Oshoba said.

“As investigations continue, we remain resolute in making the port inaccessible to those engaged in unlawful activities prohibited by our laws.

“I also wish to reassure our compliant traders of our continued support. They will continue to benefit from the trade facilitation measures introduced by the Comptroller-General of Customs to promote seamless and legitimate business operations.”

Following the interception, Comptroller Oshoba ordered the seizure of the container in accordance with the provisions of the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023, and other relevant laws.

The seized Cannabis Indica will subsequently be handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for further investigation, prosecution of those involved, and other necessary legal actions.

The seizure underscores the growing synergy between the Nigeria Customs Service and the NDLEA in combating transnational organised crime, particularly the trafficking of illicit drugs through the nation’s seaports, while reinforcing the Federal Government’s commitment to safeguarding Nigeria’s borders and protecting the public from the devastating effects of narcotics.

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