President Bola Tinubu has extended the tenure of the Comptroller-General (CG) of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Mr Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, which is due to expire on August 31, 2025, by a further year.
A statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, said the extension, approved by Mr Tinubu, will enable Mr Adeniyi to consolidate ongoing reforms and complete critical initiatives of this administration.
He added that this includes the modernisation of the Nigeria Customs Service; the implementation of the National Single Window Project; and the execution of Nigeria’s obligations under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) protocol.
“President Tinubu recognises Mr. Adeniyi’s steadfast leadership and commitment to service,” the statement said.
“The President is confident that this extension will further strengthen the Nigeria Customs Service in achieving its strategic mandate of trade facilitation, revenue generation, and border security,” it added.
Recall that in April, the customs debunked the widespread reports about the alleged tenure extension of the Comptroller General.
At the time, Mr Abdullahi Maiwada, the customs spokesman, said that the news was inaccurate and misleading.
He stated that the appointments and tenure extensions of the CGC are made solely at the discretion of the President, in line with the provisions of the NCS Act 2023 and other relevant regulations governing public service appointments.
“The attention of the NCS has been drawn to a fake release allegedly from the State House regarding an extension of the tenure of the CGC, Adewale Adeniyi. The NCS wishes to categorically state that this information is inaccurate and misleading,” Mr Maiwada said.
President Tinubu approved the appointment of Mr Adewale as then Acting Comptroller General of Customs in June 2023, replacing Mr Hammed Ali, after he removed all the service chiefs he inherited from the late former President Muhammadu Buhari.