President Bola Tinubu has approved a fresh six-month tenure extension for the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi.
The extension was disclosed in a statement issued on June 19 by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
The latest extension comes less than a year after Tinubu approved a one-year extension of Adeniyi’s tenure, which was originally due to expire on August 31, 2025.
What they are saying
Under the previous arrangement, Adeniyi’s extended tenure was expected to end in August 2026.
According to the Presidency, the additional six months will allow the Customs boss to complete critical reforms, particularly the implementation of the National Single Window project, while also ensuring a smooth leadership transition within the service.
- “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.”
The statement further noted that Adeniyi would work closely with the Nigeria Customs Service Board during the transition period to address pending personnel matters and strengthen institutional continuity.
He is also expected to oversee the promotion of qualified officers to the rank of Comptroller of Customs and facilitate the retirement of officers who have either attained the mandatory retirement age of 60 years or completed 35 years in service.
Get up to speed
This is the second time President Tinubu has extended Adeniyi’s tenure since appointing him as Comptroller-General in 2023.
- In July 2025, the Presidency announced a one-year extension of Adeniyi’s tenure, which was due to expire on August 31 of this year.
- At the time, the government said the decision was necessary to enable him consolidate several strategic reforms underway within the Nigeria Customs Service.
These reforms included the ongoing modernisation of Customs operations, the implementation of the National Single Window Project, which was launched in March,che aimed at simplifying trade processes, and the execution of Nigeria’s commitments under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) framework.
The National Single Window initiative is expected to integrate government agencies involved in trade into a unified digital platform, reducing cargo clearance delays, improving revenue collection and enhancing Nigeria’s ease of doing business.
What you should know
Adeniyi is one of the most experienced officers in the history of the Nigeria Customs Service, having spent more than three decades within the organisation.
A graduate of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, he joined the Customs Service in the late 1980s and steadily rose through the ranks.
- He became a Deputy Comptroller in 2012 before being promoted to Comptroller in 2017. Following that promotion, he served as Deputy Commandant of the Nigeria Customs Command and Staff College in Gwagwalada, Abuja.
In February 2020, he was elevated to the rank of Assistant Comptroller-General and later served as Commandant of the Customs Command and Staff College.
- One of the notable moments of his career came during his time as Assistant Comptroller-General when he supervised the interception of $8.07 million in cash that was being illegally moved out of Nigeria through the international wing of an airport.
In January 2023, he was appointed Acting Deputy Comptroller-General before President Tinubu named him Acting Comptroller-General of Customs in June 2023. He was subsequently confirmed as the substantive head of the service.
