There was wild jubilation across Customs formations nationwide when President Bola Ahmed Tinubu June last year announced the appointment of Mr. Wale Adeniyi as the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service. Wale Adeniyi’s emergence as the new helmsman of the Service brought to an end the infamous eight year regime of Hameed Ali which will go down in history as the most repressive in the over 100 year history of the Service.
For eight years, Hameed Ali ran the Customs as if it was a military cantonment. Under him, the fear of Hameed Ali was the beginning of wisdom. Management meetings were usually one sided as most officers were afraid to trade opinions that would elicit his wrath. As one observer disclosed, the Hameed Ali days were the darkest moments in the history of Nigeria Customs as officers as well as the rank and file worked under perpetual fear.
His high handedness and arrogance also manifested in his relationship with the National Assembly as well as his supervising Minister of Finance. These and many more unsavoury conduct of Hameed Ali may have prompted the National Assembly, in the the dying days of the Buhari Administration, to come up with an ammendment to Customs and Excise Act (CEMA) which now makes it mandatory for only career officers to be appointed as Comptroller General of Customs. On assumption of duty, Wale Adeniyi, himself a former spokesman of the Service, realized he has much to do to change public perception and confidence building between critical stakeholders and officers.
Such engagements took him to the National Security Adviser, the Police, Army, Navy, freight forwarders and Customs brokers amongst others. Since his assumption of duties, Mr. Adeniyi has broken every record or target he met on ground. From revenue generation to suppression of smuggling, he has continued to carry the banner of Mr. President’s Renewed Hope Agenda sky high. As it stands, and with every sense of responsibility, it will be difficult for any head of MDA to surpass the heights so far achieved by CGC Wale Adeniyi within just one year of his emergence as helmsman of the Nigeria Customs Service.
Below are 12 most Outstanding milestones of Mr. Adeniyi since his appointment in June last year
1. Surpassing Revenue Generation Targets
– The NCS, under CGC Adeniyi’s leadership, collected NGN 2.74 trillion in the first half of 2024, exceeding the half-year revenue target by eight percent and achieving a remarkable 127 percent increase compared to the same period in 2023.
2. Introduction of Time Release Study
– The WCO Time Release Study is a strategic and internationally recognised tool to measure the actual time taken for the release or clearance of goods, from the time of arrival until the physical delivery of cargo.
3. Intensified Anti-Smuggling Operations
– The NCS made 2,442 seizures in the first half of 2024, with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N25.52 billion, representing a 203 percent increase compared to the first half of 2023. The Service’s commitment to tackling smuggling operations continues to yield significant results.
4. Significant Increase in Second Quarter Seizures
– In the second quarter of 2024, the NCS made 1,334 seizures with a DPV of N17.56 billion, showing a 121 percent increase over the first quarter. Top items seized include wildlife, vehicles, arms, rice, pharmaceuticals, and narcotics, with 32 suspects undergoing prosecution.
5. Reinforcement of NCS Automation Procedures
– To simplify and expedite Customs processes, CGC Adeniyi reinforced the NCS automation procedures, reducing manual processes and enhancing the efficiency of Customs clearance operations.
6. Capacity Building Programmes for Officers
– The CGC prioritized officer training and development, implementing capacity-building programmes to equip officers with the necessary skills to handle modern Customs operations that meet international standards.
7. Public-Private Partnerships for Trade Facilitation
– Under the CGC’s leadership, the NCS strengthened its engagement with the private sector through public-private partnerships aimed at improving trade facilitation and enhancing Customs clearance efficiency.
8. Implementation of Real-Time System Auditing
– To address operational challenges and enhance revenue collection, the CGC introduced real-time system auditing and post-clearance audits, ensuring compliance with import guidelines and improving overall efficiency.
9. Introduction of the Authorized Economic Operators (AEO) Scheme
– CGC Adeniyi launched the Authorized Economic Operators (AEO) scheme to improve trade compliance and facilitate quicker customs clearance for trusted traders, a critical step toward international best practices.
10. Introduction of Advance Ruling System (ARS)
– The CGC implemented the Advance Ruling System (ARS), which provides legally binding decisions on classification, valuation, and rules of origin prior to importation, enhancing transparency and predictability for traders.
11. Launch of Operation Whirlwind
– To curb smuggling and improve border security, the CGC launched Operation Whirlwind, a focused anti-smuggling initiative aimed at disrupting illicit trade and securing Nigeria’s borders from economic saboteurs.
12. Strategic Reshuffling of Officers
– In a move to improve operational efficiency, CGC Adeniyi conducted a strategic reshuffling of officers at key positions, ensuring the deployment of skilled personnel to critical areas to enhance NCS performance.
These milestones highlight the CGC’s commitment to revenue generation, trade facilitation, anti-smuggling efforts, and modernization of customs operations for national economic growth and security.