Deputy Comptroller of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi was earlier today decorated by Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shettima, as the new Acting Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).
A statement by the Director of Information, Office of the Vice President, Olusola Abiola said Adeniyi’s appointment was a morale booster for officers in the Nigeria Customs Service, as they now have assurance that they can aspire to the top cadre of the service through hard work and commitment.
For eight years under the administration of former President, Muhammadu Buhari, the Nigeria Customs Service was headed by retired Colonel Hamid Ali, an appointment widely criticised by country’s maritime and shipping industries.
President Bola Tinubui last week Monday appointed Adeniyi as the acting Comptroller-General of Customs along with other newly appointed Heads of Security Services.
Adeniyi’s decoration ceremony was witnessed by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, at the Presidential Villa.
In a brief remark, Shettima said Adeniyi’s appointment brought back professionalism to the Nigeria Customs Service.
“Now, every Customs officer can aspire to occupy the pinnacle of his or her profession,” he said.
Speaking with State House correspondents shortly after the decoration, Adeniyi expressed gratitude to President Tinubu for appointing a serving officer as the head of the agency. He assured the President and Nigerians of a more effective and innovation-driven NCS.
He said: “In the last eight years, the NCS has gone through a period of transition; in some areas, we recorded progress – we made remarkable progress in e-Customs.
“We made a lot of breakthroughs in capacity building, but the NCS can still live to its full potential when we bring in more innovation to drive Customs operations.”
