L-R: Former Governor of Ogun State/Chairman, NIJ Governing Council, Aremo Olusegun Osoba; Comptroller-General of Customs, Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi; and Provost, Nigerian institute of Journalism, Mr Gbenga Adefaye during the special Convocation for the conferment of Fellowship Award on Comptroller-General of Customs, Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale AdeAdeniyi, held at the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ) , in Lagos.
Elegbede Abiodun
Adeniyi is the first alumnus of the Institute to receive the Fellowship.
The Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ) has conferred its prestigious Fellowship on the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, in a ceremony that combined recognition, reflection, and a significant institutional donation.
The event, held at the Institute’s campus, attracted prominent figures from journalism, public service, and academia, including media veteran Sam Amuka-Pemu and renowned journalist Ray Ekpu, both celebrated for their lasting contributions to the profession.
Chairman of the NIJ Governing Council, Olusegun Osoba, described the honour as historic, noting that Adeniyi is the first alumnus of the Institute to receive the Fellowship. He explained that the award is reserved for individuals with outstanding achievements in their careers and contributions to national development, adding that the decision to honour Adeniyi was unanimous.
Osoba commended Adeniyi’s leadership at the Nigeria Customs Service, highlighting his role in boosting revenue generation from billions to trillions of naira. He also pointed to Adeniyi’s emergence as Chairman of the World Customs Organization Council, a milestone achievement for Nigeria on the global stage.
In his remarks, NIJ Provost Gbenga Adefaye said the Fellowship represents more than personal recognition, describing it as an affirmation of the Institute’s core values of discipline, professionalism, and ethical conduct. He noted that Adeniyi’s journey—from public relations officer to Comptroller-General—demonstrates the power of effective communication in driving institutional reform.
Adefaye credited Adeniyi with reshaping the public image of the Customs Service through transparency and strategic communication, while strengthening enforcement and trade facilitation. According to him, these efforts have contributed to improved national security, increased economic productivity, and stronger stakeholder engagement.
In his acceptance speech, Adeniyi expressed gratitude to the Institute, recalling his time as a student in 1989. He described the Fellowship as a full-circle moment, noting that the values he acquired at NIJ—discipline, professionalism, and continuous self-development—have guided his nearly four decades in public service.
“This institution planted values in me that I have carried throughout my career,” he said, adding that the recognition affirms the Institute’s investment in him.
A major highlight of the ceremony was Adeniyi’s announcement of a two-storey multimedia resource centre for the Institute. The proposed facility will feature modern production and editing studios, classrooms, and office spaces aimed at equipping students with practical skills for contemporary journalism.
He also pledged support for the upgrade of the NIJ community radio from an online platform to a terrestrial station, including the provision of a transmitter and related infrastructure.
Adeniyi explained that the initiatives are part of a broader corporate social responsibility drive under his leadership, focused on education, capacity building, and professional development.
Addressing students, he encouraged them to remain dedicated to self-improvement, assuring them that consistent effort would lead to recognition. “The distance between the platform and the podium is shorter than you think,” he said.
The ceremony highlighted NIJ’s enduring role in media training in Nigeria and underscored the link between journalism, public service, and national development. It also reinforced Adeniyi’s standing as both a reform-minded public servant and a supporter of media and communication advancement.
The event ended with widespread commendation for his contributions to national growth and his commitment to giving back to the institution that helped shape his career.
