Adeniyi Reaffirms Customs’ Commitment to Humanitarian Relief, Receives International Award
The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Adewale Adeniyi, has reaffirmed the Service’s commitment to humanitarian interventions through the expedited clearance of relief materials and targeted support for communities affected by disasters.
Adeniyi stated this on Thursday, August 20, 2026, in Abuja, while speaking at the United Towns Agency for North-South Cooperation (UTA) International Humanitarian Award and Lecture organised to commemorate the 2026 World Humanitarian Day.
The Customs boss was honoured with an International Humanitarian Award for his contributions to humanitarian causes and people-centred initiatives.
Speaking on the role of the NCS in humanitarian response, Adeniyi said the Service had established procedures to ensure the speedy clearance of humanitarian and relief consignments, stressing that such materials were not subjected to the same clearance timelines as ordinary imports.
“There are procedures which the Nigeria Customs Service and other Customs administrations in the world have put in place for speedy and expedited clearance of humanitarian and relief items, so that when they lie in a port, we do not subject them to the regular clearance time that other items are subjected to, and we implement that by all means,” he said.
Adeniyi also disclosed that the NCS had expanded its humanitarian interventions through its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, which provides relief materials to communities affected by disasters.
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He said the initiative was also aligned with the administration of President Bola Tinubu’s efforts to improve access to essential services and support vulnerable communities.
“We have launched a Corporate Social Responsibility initiative, under which we extend humanitarian relief items to affected communities in Nigeria, and we also support President Bola Tinubu’s agenda in providing education, water resources, clothing and other relief items to communities that are affected by disasters,” he said.
Earlier, Vice-President Kashim Shettima, represented by the Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Zubaida Umar, called for stronger humanitarian systems capable of addressing not only the immediate consequences but also the root causes of crises.
Shettima’s representative delivered his address at the lecture, which was themed, “Breaking the Cycle: Achieving Lasting Solutions to Humanitarian Crises in Nigeria and Beyond.”
The Vice-President stressed the importance of coordinated and sustainable interventions to strengthen Nigeria’s capacity to respond effectively to humanitarian emergencies and reduce the vulnerabilities that expose communities to recurring crises.
In her welcome address, UTA Nigeria Country President, Ambassador Abigail Amalaha, said the organisation was pleased to honour individuals and institutions whose contributions reflected the values of humanity, compassion and service.
She said Adeniyi’s recognition demonstrated the increasing importance of humanitarian interventions by public institutions and other stakeholders beyond the traditional humanitarian sector.
The event brought together stakeholders from government, emergency management, humanitarian organisations and other sectors to discuss sustainable approaches to addressing humanitarian crises in Nigeria and beyond.
By PRNigeria
