By George Ozalla
The Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Adewale Adeniyi, has received the Lifetime Achievement in Customs Administration Award at the 10th anniversary edition of the Nigeria Most Influential Awards held in Abuja.
Adeniyi received the award at the ceremony on Saturday, August 22, 2026, with the organisers citing his contributions to Customs administration, particularly in trade facilitation, revenue generation, technology and institutional reforms.
The anniversary event was held under the theme, “Celebrating 10 Years of Influence and Impact,” and attracted personalities from different sectors who were recognised for their contributions to society and their areas of work.
Speaking after receiving the award, Adeniyi expressed appreciation to the organisers and said the recognition was an indication that the work being carried out by the Nigeria Customs Service was being noticed.
“When this kind of recognition comes, naturally, you must be delighted. You must be happy,” he said.
The Customs chief, however, said the award should not be taken as a reason to stop, stressing that the recognition also placed a responsibility on the Service to continue improving its operations.
“This kind of award is a statement of saying that we’ve done well, but we know that this type of award is a statement of saying we can still do more,” Adeniyi said.
He said the Nigeria Customs Service had continued to introduce measures aimed at changing the way Customs administration is carried out, including the use of technology, improvement of trade processes and efforts to increase revenue collection.
According to him, the changes are intended to make Customs operations easier and more effective while enabling the Service to perform its statutory duties more efficiently.
Adeniyi also spoke about the wider activities of the Service, pointing to Customs Cares as one of the initiatives through which the Nigeria Customs Service has intervened in areas outside its traditional responsibilities of revenue collection and trade facilitation.
The award organiser, Ambassador Vivian Lau, said the Nigeria Most Influential Awards was established to honour people whose work and contributions have made a difference in society and their communities.
The 10th anniversary ceremony featured music, dance and comedy, alongside the presentation of awards to individuals recognised in different fields.
The award was presented to Adeniyi as part of the activities marking the 10th anniversary of the Nigeria Most Influential Awards.
