“When Customs administrations work together, enforcement becomes stronger, trade becomes safer and the global economy becomes more resilient”-Dr. Adewale Adeniyi

Dr. Adewale Adeniyi is the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, and Chairperson of the Council of the World Customs Organisation (WCO)

Addressing delegates as the keynote  speaker at the opening of the 46th Session of the WCO Enforcement Committee held at the organisation’s headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, the Nigeria Customs helmsman who spoke alongside the WCO Secretary-General, Ian Saunders, not only reemphasizd the growing strategic relevance of the Enforcement Committee but also positioned the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) at the centre of a defining moment in global Customs cooperations.

The WCO’s recognition of contributions of the NCS to the global Customs community is a universal vote of confidence on Nigeria and Nigerians’ capacity to lead and make a difference wherever and whenever called upon to serve.

As the world anticipates changes and innovations brought forth by the Nigeria Customs, expectations are high that the world stands to benefit from the expertise of officers of the Nigeria Customs Service as they serve the WCO at Committee levels and elsewhere around the world.

Adewale Adeniyi, in demonstration of his commitment to enhancing global trade, has opened talks with other WCO members as he pushes for Customs administrations in the world for sustained efforts in combating transnational organised crime as he draws attention to the evolving nature of threats within global supply chains and the urgent need for coordinated, intelligence-led enforcement approaches.

Adeniyi is calling for a shift in the Customs operational outlook as it transit from a predominantly enforcement-focused platform to a policy-driven body addressing a wider spectrum of contemporary challenges such as detection technologies, intelligence sharing, supply chain integrity, and trade-based money laundering; all within a more structured and forward-looking framework to align its governance structure with the realities of an increasingly complex global trade environment.

Dr. Adeniyi’s leadership at the WCO is definitely a defining moment in global Customs cooperation, synergy and collaboration in global commerce.

“Customs enforcement today is no longer about isolated seizures, it is about protecting the integrity of global trade” Adeniyi reiterated at a recent WCO meeting in Brussels.

Urging Customs administrations to work closer together, Adeniyi said  “When Customs administrations work together, enforcement becomes stronger, trade becomes safer and the global economy becomes fortified and more resilient”

A man of many years of experience in Customs operations, Adeniyi has served as trainers’ trainer,  global resource person and delegate in several Customs engagements across the world.

Back in Nigeria, he is leading the country’s Customs Modernization process aimed at transforming Customs processes and enhance its operational efficiency.

With the imminent launch of Nigeria’s National Single Window, NSW, the Nigeria Customs is poised to increase its quota to the economy of the country through improved revenue, trade facilitation and anti smuggling operations as it safeguards its borders with deployment of technology even as trained professional officers man its various Commands and offices in-country.