The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, has dedicated his recent electoral victory as Chairperson of the World Customs Organization (WCO) Council to the officers and men of the Service, whom he praised for their unwavering commitment and sacrifice toward building a better and more effective Customs administration.
It would be recalled that on 28th June 2025, during the 145th/146th sessions of the WCO Council held in Brussels, Belgium, Adeniyi was unanimously elected by the 185 member countries to lead the WCO Council, the organization’s highest decision-making body. This milestone marks a historic moment, as he becomes the first Nigerian to attain such a prestigious position within the global customs community.
Speaking publicly for the first time about the landmark achievement, CGC Adeniyi described the journey as both humbling and transformative. He shared insights into the process that led to his emergence, revealing that he was unanimously adopted as the sole candidate from the West and Central African region, a development that laid the foundation for his eventual election.
Describing the experience as a “roller coaster journey,” Adeniyi expressed deep gratitude for the support he received at home and abroad, and reaffirmed his commitment to projecting Nigeria’s image positively on the global stage while championing progressive customs reforms worldwide.
“When the journey started, it began at the level of the West and Central African region, which has only 23 members. At our regional meeting, I was unanimously nominated as the sole candidate for the region,” he stated.
He revealed that shortly after his nomination, four other WCO sub-regions also conveyed their endorsement, effectively backing his candidacy ahead of the Council elections.
“During the four-day Council meeting preceding the election, I received confirmation that the European sub-region had also endorsed me. By Saturday morning, the Asia-Pacific candidate had stepped down, clearing the path for my election,” he disclosed.
Global Recognition of Nigeria’s Reforms
Adeniyi described his election as a reflection of the international customs community’s growing recognition of the transformations happening within the Nigeria Customs Service.
“What does this tell us? It shows that the global customs community is paying attention to Nigeria. It has endorsed the reforms we are implementing and the modernization efforts we’ve undertaken,” he said.
He highlighted some of the WCO-endorsed tools being actively deployed by the Service:
- Advance Rulings
- Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) programme
- Time Release Study (TRS) to assess the time and cost of doing business.
“My election is a validation that we are on the right course. But the journey is not yet complete—it is a process. Global best practices in advanced customs administrations will continue to serve as models we must aspire to.”
Ongoing System Migration Challenges
The CGC also acknowledged the challenges being faced in the current migration from the legacy NICIS II system to the B’Odogwu platform, describing it as a major leap that naturally comes with teething problems.
“Any such integration represents a fundamental shift. I understand there are many concerns, which is why I’m here in Lagos to engage with stakeholders and listen to their complaints,” he noted.
He reassured stakeholders that their feedback would be taken seriously and that the Service is committed to using technology, innovation, and intelligence to ease operations and improve performance.
“We must allow risk management to drive our processes, make better use of intelligence, and deploy non-intrusive inspection technologies such as scanners across our operations,” he added.
A Victory Dedicated to the Service
In his concluding remarks, CGC Adeniyi expressed deep appreciation to both the international customs community and local stakeholders—including the business community and the officers and men of the Nigeria Customs Service—for embracing the reforms.
“I dedicate this victory to all officers and men of the Nigeria Customs Service, who stand behind me day and night to ensure we implement a reform agenda aimed at making Customs better than we met it,” he declared.
