Comptroller-General, Nigeria Customs (CGC) Adewale Adeniyi.
By Mark Longyen
Nigeria’s Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC) Adewale Adeniyi has been elected as Chairman of the World Customs Organisation (WCO) Council.
WCO is the highest decision-making body in global customs administration.
Adeniyi was elected during the WCO’s 145th/146th Council Meetings held on Saturday at its headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.
He succeeds South Africa’s Edward Kieswetter, and becomes the first Nigerian to hold this prestigious office since the establishment of the WCO in 1952.
Adeniyi, a former spokesman of the NCS, was appointed as the CGC by President Bola Tinubu in June, 2023.
In his acceptance speech, the Nigerian Customs boss expressed profound appreciation to the Council members for the confidence reposed in him.
He described the moment as both humbling and historic for Nigeria and the African Customs community at large.
The CGC pledged unwavering support for WCO’s ongoing modernisation efforts, and affirmed his commitment to implementing its 2025–2028 strategic plan.
Adeniyi is expected to provide strategic leadership to the WCO Policy Commission, steer the global customs agenda and facilitate high-level discussions on trade facilitation, revenue optimisation, security, cross-border cooperation, and digital transformation.
The new WCO Chairman is also expected to work closely with the WCO Secretary-General, Ian Saunders, and the WCO Secretariat to ensure implementation of the organisation’s Strategic Plan.
He will also champion greater inclusivity, capacity development and sustainability in customs operations, particularly for developing countries.
The WCO chairman also plays a key diplomatic role, representing the WCO at high-level global fora, strengthening relationships with external partners, such as the Private Sector Consultative Group (PSCG), international donor bodies, and multilateral trade institutions.
Nigeria is expected to drive Customs reform conversations across the Global South, especially in areas like AfCFTA implementation, illicit trade suppression, and technology adoption under the new dispensation.
A distinguished career officer, Adeniyi was instrumental to the seizure of 8.07 million dollars cash, which was being illegally taken out of Nigeria through the E-Wing of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, when he was the Customs Area Controller.
He was duly recognized and conferred with the national honour of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR) by former President Muhammadu Buhari on Oct. 11, 2022, as well as the Comptroller–General of Customs Merit Award.
Adeniyi, who hails from Modakeke, Ife East LGA of Osun State, Nigeria, attended the prestigious Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Ile-Ife, where he bagged a Bachelor of Science in International Relations.
He also holds a Master of Communication Science from the University of Lugano, USI, Switzerland.
Adeniyi has attended national and international courses such as Strategic Leadership and Management Development at the WCO in Brussels; Mastering Trade Policy at Harvard University, U.S.; Strategic Crisis Communication, University of California (UCLA); Transformation Initiatives Leadership Training in Toronto, Canada; and Strategic Communication, Columbia University, New York, among others.
