By Seun Ibiyemi
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved a final six-month tenure extension for the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Adewale Adeniyi, to enable him consolidate ongoing reforms and ensure a smooth leadership transition within the Service.
The extension, announced on Friday, will take effect upon the expiration of Adeniyi’s current tenure on August 1, 2026, and will run until February 2027.
According to a statement issued by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the extension is aimed at allowing Adeniyi to complete the implementation of the National Single Window project and oversee an orderly succession process in the Customs Service.
During the transition period, Adeniyi is expected to work closely with the NCS Board to facilitate the promotion of qualified officers to the rank of Comptroller of Customs and ensure compliance with statutory retirement provisions.
The statement noted that officers who have attained the mandatory retirement age of 60 years or completed 35 years in service would be retired in line with public service regulations.
Adeniyi joined the Nigeria Customs Service after graduating from Obafemi Awolowo University in the late 1980s and has risen through the ranks over the course of his career.
He became a Deputy Comptroller in 2012, was promoted to Comptroller in 2017, and advanced to the position of Assistant Comptroller-General in 2020.
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In January 2023, he was appointed Acting Deputy Comptroller-General before being named Comptroller-General of Customs by President Tinubu in June 2023.
The latest extension is expected to provide continuity for key reforms within the Customs Service, particularly the implementation of the National Single Window initiative, which is designed to enhance trade facilitation, improve revenue collection and streamline cross-border transactions.
