The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Dr Bashir Adeniyi, has received the Lifetime Achievement in Customs Administration Award for his technology-driven reforms that has repositioned the service.
Adeniyi received the recognition at the 2026 Nigeria Most Influential Awards (NMIA) held on Saturday night in Abuja.
The NCS boss was honoured among other eminent Nigerians, drawn from the public and private sectors, for using their positions and resources to contribute meaningfully to nation building.
According to the organisers of the annual NMIA, Adeniyi is given the award for championing strategic reforms in trade facilitation, stronger border security and technology-driven operations beyond the customs tradition revenue-collection mandate.
In an interview on the sideline of the ceremony, Adeniyi said the award was a source of delight and showed that efforts to improve Customs administration were being noticed.
“When this kind of thing comes, naturally, you must be delighted. You must be very happy.
“It’s also very delightful for you to know that you have been recognised for the job that you are doing, and that somehow people are taking note of it, and they’re saying, well done, you’ve done well,” he said.
He lauded organisers of the NMIA, adding that the recognition was a call on him and his team to do more by driving initiatives that would further strengthen operations of the Customs.
“This is something that can also help to ginger us, to motivate us, and give us the inspiration to do better in those critical areas of public service that were mentioned today.
“Trade facilitation, security at the borders, and of course, generation of revenue to the country,” he said.
In her welcome address, Vivian Lam, Convener of NMIA and Chief Executive Officer of VGlamour Magazine, said the awards had, over the past decade, recognised Nigerians whose contributions had positively impacted society.
She said the NMIA, now in its 10th edition, had recognised governors, ministers, legislators, traditional rulers, business leaders, entrepreneurs, professionals, innovators, philanthropists and emerging leaders.
According to her, the initiative was founded on the belief that excellence deserved recognition, integrity deserved celebration and positive impact should not go unnoticed.
“Today is just more than an award. It is a celebration of purpose, resilience, excellence, impact, and a dream that refused to die.
“True influence is not measured by title, wealth, or popularity. It is measured by life transformed, opportunities created, communities uplifted, and legacies we leave behind,” she said.
Lam, therefore, urged Nigerians to choose integrity over corruption, service over selfishness and impact over applause, stressing that national transformation requires commitment to positive values.
