By Chimezie Godfrey
The Comptroller-General of Customs, CGC Adewale Adeniyi, has pledged renewed support for Yakubu Gowon University as part of efforts to strengthen education, research and infrastructure development at the institution.
Adeniyi made the pledge while receiving the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Professor Hakeem Fawehinmi, and other principal officers during a courtesy visit to the Customs Headquarters in Abuja.
The Customs boss recalled previous efforts by the Nigeria Customs Service to formalise a strategic partnership with the institution through a Memorandum of Understanding.
“I have a long institutional history with this university. During my tenure as Commandant of the Nigeria Customs Command and Staff College, we made serious efforts to formalise a partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding. We went very far in the process and were close to signing, but leadership changes on both sides affected the process,” he said.
Despite the delay, Adeniyi said the Service had continued to support the university through interventions in transportation and ICT infrastructure.
“At different times, we supported the university with transportation facilities, including the provision of a 32-seater bus. We also established a fully equipped computer centre with close to one hundred workstations,” he stated.
The CGC assured the university management that Customs would carefully consider new areas of collaboration capable of delivering meaningful impact.
“For us, beyond legacy, what matters most is impact. We understand the realities facing Nigerian universities, from transportation challenges to infrastructure gaps. Our interest is to support initiatives that will create a conducive learning environment and positively impact students,” he added.
Adeniyi also stressed the importance of developing a university in Abuja that reflects the image and status of Nigeria’s capital city.
“It is important for us to have a university in Abuja that truly reflects the status of Nigeria’s capital. I am willing to work with you in that regard,” he said.
Earlier, Professor Fawehinmi commended the leadership of the Comptroller-General and described the Nigeria Customs Service as a major institution supporting national development and government reforms.
“We have come with the highest level of leadership of the university to congratulate you and appreciate the tremendous work being done by the Nigeria Customs Service under your leadership,” he said.
The Vice-Chancellor noted that the university, with nearly 40,000 undergraduate students, faces increasing infrastructural and operational challenges.
“As the only conventional public university in the Federal Capital Territory, we face enormous responsibilities. Support in areas such as mass transit buses, ICT infrastructure, research facilities, and professional collaboration will significantly strengthen our capacity,” he stated.
Professor Fawehinmi also proposed collaboration between the Nigeria Customs Service and the university’s Centre for Defence and Migration Studies in areas including border management, migration studies and national security research.
“We are ready to partner with the Nigeria Customs Service. The real beneficiaries of such collaboration will be young Nigerians who represent the future leadership of this country,” he added.
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