Adewale Adeniyi: Daring to Be Different

By Mariam Mohammed

In a clime where the helmsmen of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, are profiled in notoriety, the 14th indigenous Comptroller General of the Service, Adewale Bashir Adeniyi, is progressively different and winning even the most trenchant critic.

Though, it has not all been rosy and fragrant, the CG has demonstrated a knack to stay the course and show that coming through the rung of the Service has its rewards.

Appointed by President Bola Tinubu in July of 2023, Adeniyi has brought to bear panache, accessibility, accountability, an ingrained sense of patriotism and knowhow in the management of one of the country’s topmost revenue generating agency.

An African proverb best illustrates the character and nature of CG Adeniyi. It says a chick that will be a cockerel is known at its beginning. And for Adeniyi, this holds true as a young officer for almost two decades, he was entrusted in shaping the image and public perception of the NCS. No mean feat, I dare say.

Inspite of the raging storms of corruption allegations and underhand dealings of the then top brass, Adeniyi stayed above the fray and was even recognized for his sterling contribution to national growth and development by former President Muhammadu Buhari who awarded him a national honour of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic, MFR, in October 2022 while serving as Commandant of the Nigeria Customs Command and Staff College, Gwagwalada, Abuja.

More than a year on the saddle as the Comptroller General of the NCS, he has lived the conviction of the trust reposed in him by the president just like when he declined to turn a blind eye to the attempt to smuggle $8.07 million in cash in February 2020 through the E-Wing of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport tarmac, Lagos.

Without a much of an argument, the Customs for long has had a challenge of poor public perception occasioned by decades’ long abuse and blazing corruption, it was in some quarters, a write-off only, for the pliant and corrupt.

Besides that, there was the cloud of abuse of office and ostentatiousness of the topmost brass with rife allegations of deploying helicopters to ferry mistresses and their likes to the detriment of official duties and efficiency.

Further, Adeniyi was appointed at a time of steep smuggling activities, declining professionalism aided by low morale of officers and rank of the Service.

It was understandable that there were not a few apprehensions in some quarters if his gentle and urbane mien will suffice in addressing these hydra challenges and bring about operational efficiency. Without a doubt, legitimate concerns. It is fitting, therefore, that a little a year after mounting the perch as the CG of the NCS, an x-ray of how far and well the Customs has done under his guidance is done.

With the benefit of hindsight, it can be said that have been through various command structures of the NCS, Adeniyi had studied the system and understood why things ought to be done differently and with alacrity.

Understanding that engagement with critical stakeholders is a veritable governance system, the new CG to frontally tackle the menace of economic sabotage and all forms of smuggling unveiled his strategic vision first with President Tinubu, and proceeded to meet with the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, leadership of the National Assembly, Governors of Lagos and Ogun, as well as traditional rulers in some of the border towns.

The strategic engagements with the traditional institutions in these towns was about dictating what ought to be done, rather to cultivate synergy, gain their trust and offer something tangible. To this end, CG Adeniyi informed them of the plan to establish skill acquisition centres in some of the border towns with Seme as a pilot scheme.

The end game is to provide a veritable economic activity for the young and active population who rather than engaging in detrimental economic forays, have some skilled training for legitimate businesses and incomes.

For years, businesses, legitimate or otherwise, endured the brute force and shenanigans of the feared CG Strike Force of the Federal Operations Units, FOUs. The Strike Force which was designed to act in oversight capacity against unscrupulous elements in the Service became an avenue for terror, abuse and utter disregard for standard operations.

Without much ado, Adeniyi disbanded it signaling that under his watch, operations outside the core operating manual of the NCS will be frowned at. He has since restored discipline and accountability to the Service by putting the needs of his personnel as part of his priorities.

Across the country, customs quarters are undergoing massive renovations, delayed promotions effected and less noise but eyes on being a dependable agency in the Renewed Hope Agenda economic matrix

Nothing best illustrates this than the 2024 revenue target of the Service of N5.07 trillion which was surpassed in November. Speaking on the development, “These strategic engagements and collaborative approaches have yielded remarkable results across our core statutory responsibilities.

“Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to announce that yesterday, 12 November 2024, at exactly 13:10 Hrs, the Nigeria Customs Service hit its 2024 revenue target of NGN 5.07 trillion, collecting NGN 5,079,455,088,194.38, with more than a month remaining in the fiscal year.

“This exceptional performance—projected to exceed our target by 10 percent—validates our partnership-driven approach to revenue collection and trade facilitation.”

To have a better grasp of the numbers is to look at these: In the first quarter of this year, the NCS demonstrated remarkable performance in revenue collection, collecting a total revenue of N1,347,675,608,972.75.

The collection for Q1 represented a substantial increase of 122.35 per cent, compared to the same period in 2023, when it reported N606,119,935,146.67. A month-by-month analysis illustrated the service’s impressive growth trajectory.

In January 2024, revenue collection surged by 95.60 per cent, reaching N390,824,148,326.55 from N199,809,974,327.52 recorded in January 2023. The upward trend continued in February 2024, with a staggering 138.68 per cent growth, elevating revenue collection to N450,209,267,557.15 from N188,625,011,386.87 in February 2023. By March 2024, the revenue collected by NCS grew by 132.76 per cent from N217,669,949,432.28 to N506,642,193,019.05.

When compared to the federal government’s annual revenue target of N5.07 trillion for the NCS to collect in 2024, the target translates to a monthly revenue target of N423 billion. The NCS reported an average monthly revenue growth of 6.2 per cent over the set monthly target and a cumulative revenue collection of 18.6 per cent, equivalent to N78,675,608,972.75 over the set quarterly target of N1.269 trillion.

Also, the NCS recorded a total of 572 seizures, encompassing various items valued at N10,593,099,654.50 in Duty Paid Value (DPV). Notably, January saw 111 seizures amounting to N842,992,751.50 in DPV, while February marked the highest seizure numbers of 432, totaling N3,704,703,350.34.

The second quarter of the year was even better as the NCS has reported N2.74 trillion revenue, surpassing its targets by 8 per cent, with e-auctions and duty windows boosting growth.

The performance also represented a 127 per cent increase over the previous year’s revenue. The service collected N1.39 trillion in the second quarter of the year, exceeding the quarterly target by 10 per cent and 131 per cent increase over Q2 2023.

The growth is attributable to the positive performance initiatives; including the e-auction platform which generated over N1.34 billion, and the 90-day duty payment window for uncustomed vehicles which raked in N4.37 billion.

As a mark of recognition of these sterling effort, Adeniyi in July 2024, was honoured with the “Outstanding Revenue Collection” accolade at the Nigeria Excellence Award in Public Service, NEAPS, by President Tinubu.

While there is little doubt that he has performed well and has earned plaudits from media industry watchers as well as organised private sector, it should serve as a compass to up the ante, stay the course and keep defying the odds and breaking new grounds.