Tinubu honours CGC Adeniyi with top national award for record-breaking revenue performance
Maureen Aguta
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, has been decorated with the Outstanding Revenue Collection Award at the 2025 Nigeria Excellence Awards in Public Service (NEAPS), a high-profile ceremony held on Sunday, December 7, 2025, at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, said Adeniyi emerged from a pool of 44 distinguished honourees following a rigorous national evaluation of public sector performance. He praised the Customs chief for embodying “discipline, transparency and professionalism” in the administration of revenue, adding that Adeniyi’s stewardship reflects “the quality of public service Nigeria urgently requires.”
Akume noted that the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), under Adeniyi’s leadership, has consistently surpassed revenue targets, strengthened border control mechanisms and rebuilt public confidence in government institutions. He described Adeniyi’s selection as not only deserving but “inspiring to the next generation of reform-driven public officers.”
Reiterating the purpose of NEAPS, the SGF said the awards were designed to entrench a culture of merit-based recognition in public institutions, reminding recipients that “public offices are held strictly in trust for the Nigerian people.”
Speaking with journalists after receiving the award, Adeniyi expressed gratitude to President Tinubu, the SGF and the organisers, stressing that the honour belongs to the entire Customs workforce. He described the recognition as both “deeply humbling and highly motivating,” adding that it will further energise officers as the Service intensifies reforms in revenue mobilisation, border security and trade facilitation.
“This award challenges us to raise the bar even higher. Our commitment to credible revenue administration and service rooted in integrity remains unshaken,” he said.
Adeniyi was among the standout recipients at this year’s NEAPS ceremony, which drew an influential audience including the governors of Adamawa, Bauchi, Kano and Zamfara states, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, and other senior government officials.
Now in its second edition, NEAPS is organised by The Best Strategic (TBS) Media in partnership with the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), with the aim of spotlighting institutions and individuals delivering exceptional value in public service.