Joyce Mmereole Okoli
The Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Adewale Adeniyi, has been honored with the Sun Newspaper Public Service Award, recognizing his outstanding leadership and contributions to national development.
The award ceremony, held on Saturday, March 1, 2025, in Lagos, attracted prominent figures, including Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Management, Festus Keyamo, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu, Governor of Anambra State, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, and APC National Chairman, Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje, among other dignitaries, industry leaders, and traditional rulers.
In his acceptance speech, CGC Adeniyi described the award as a motivation to strengthen the service’s role in trade facilitation, revenue generation, and national security.
“This kind of recognition is very encouraging and inspiring. Through our core mandates, we contribute our own quota to development, revenue generation, trade facilitation, and security. This is a call for better service delivery, a call for us to do more than we are doing, and we are ready for that in 2025,” he stated.
The Customs Boss also announced plans to launch Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives in the coming weeks, aimed at benefiting communities where customs officers operate. The programs, anchored on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and President Bola Tinubu’s eight priority areas, will focus on education, healthcare, and clean water supply.
“By the grace of God, we will be doing more that will impact our communities through Corporate Social Responsibility programmes that we are going to be launching in about two weeks,” Adeniyi revealed.
He emphasized that the initiatives are designed to directly benefit local communities, ensuring that Customs’ outreach efforts leave a lasting impact.
Adeniyi dedicated the award to all officers and personnel of the Nigeria Customs Service, acknowledging their dedication to duty and commitment to national progress.
The event’s attendees congratulated all award recipients, stressing the significance of strong leadership and public service in advancing national development.