President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved a final six-month tenure extension for the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Adewale Adeniyi, allowing him to remain in office until February 2027.
The extension, announced on Friday, comes as Adeniyi’s current tenure was due to expire on August 1, 2026.
According to the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the decision is aimed at enabling the Customs chief to consolidate ongoing reforms, particularly the implementation of the National Single Window project, while also ensuring a seamless leadership transition within the service.
“President Tinubu has granted a final six-month tenure extension to the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi,” Onanuga said.
He explained that the additional period would allow the Customs Service to complete critical institutional processes and maintain momentum on strategic reforms.
“The six-month extension, which will expire in February 2027, is to enable him to consolidate the implementation of the National Single Window and ensure an orderly succession in the service,” Onanuga stated.
The National Single Window initiative is one of the Federal Government’s flagship trade facilitation reforms designed to integrate government agencies involved in import and export processes onto a unified digital platform, with the goal of reducing bottlenecks, improving efficiency and boosting revenue collection.
According to the presidency, Adeniyi will also work closely with the Nigeria Customs Service Board during the transition period to address personnel matters and prepare the ground for a smooth handover to a successor.
“During the transition period, Adeniyi, working with the Nigeria Customs Service Board, will ensure the promotion of eligible officers to the rank of Comptroller of Customs and the compulsory retirement of officers who have attained 60 years of age or have served 35 years,” Onanuga said.
Adeniyi was appointed Comptroller-General of Customs by President Tinubu in June 2023 and has since overseen a series of reforms aimed at modernising the service, improving trade facilitation and strengthening anti-smuggling operations.
Under his leadership, the Nigeria Customs Service has intensified efforts to deploy technology-driven solutions, enhance revenue generation and improve collaboration with other government agencies involved in border management and trade administration.
Adeniyi’s career in the Customs Service spans more than three decades. A graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University, he joined the service in the late 1980s and steadily rose through the ranks.
He became a Deputy Comptroller in 2012, was promoted to Comptroller in 2017, and advanced to the rank of Assistant Comptroller-General in 2020. In January 2023, he was appointed Acting Deputy Comptroller-General before his elevation as Comptroller-General later that year.
The latest extension underscores the Federal Government’s desire to sustain continuity in the implementation of key customs and trade reforms while ensuring an orderly succession process within one of the country’s most strategic revenue-generating agencies.
