The Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Adewale Adeniyi, has charged senior officers of the service to address the internal weaknesses that are hindering operational effectiveness across the service.
In a statement on Sunday, the National Public Relations Officer of the service, Abdullahi Maiwada, said the CGC stated this while declaring open the ‘2025 Comptroller-General of Customs’.
“The Nigeria Customs Service opened the 2025 Comptroller-General of Customs Conference last week in Abuja, with a firm call for senior officers to address the internal weaknesses that are hindering operational effectiveness across the service,” the statement read in part.
According to the statement, the event theme, ‘Building Future Partnerships: Lessons from the Customs-PACT Conference’, aimed to reflect on and proffer strategic plans that would enhance the service’s performance.
Declaring the conference open, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, stated that the service must now apply the same discipline, coordination, and clarity that delivered the successful Customs Partnership for African Cooperation in Trade Summit to its internal operations.
He reminded participants that the service concluded a landmark continental engagement that brought customs chiefs, private-sector partners, and representatives from all African regions to Abuja.
“You can’t sustain external credibility without internal integrity. Turn the mirror inward and force honest discussions about what is working, what is failing, and what must change,” Adeniyi warned.
Speaking on the theme of the conference, the CGC stated that the goal was to extract the principles behind the success of the international summit, including coordination, unified messaging, and disciplined execution, and embed them permanently in the service’s operating culture.
He recalled how, during preparations for the C-PACT Summit, the service held weekly coordination meetings for 16 consecutive weeks, aligning messages with AfCFTA, resolving conflicts quickly, and maintaining unity, because “failure was not an option with the world watching.”
The CGC Conference is an annual high-level gathering organised by the NCS. It brings together senior customs officers, government officials, industry stakeholders, and sometimes international partners. The conference serves as a stock-taking exercise for the service, allowing NCS leadership and officers to reflect on past performance, identify challenges, and set goals for the future.
