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Customs and FRSC Reforms: Rewarding Performance, Sustaining Progress

By Zekeri Idakwo Laruba

There is something about competence, diligence, innovation, and visionary leadership that naturally commands recognition. In public service, where bureaucracy can sometimes conceal mediocrity, exceptional performance remains difficult to ignore. It is perhaps for this reason that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s decision to grant a six-month tenure extension to the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, has been widely applauded as a well-deserved reward for excellence and a strategic move to sustain ongoing reforms.

Approved ahead of his statutory retirement date of August 31, 2026, the extension is more than a routine administrative decision. It reflects the President’s belief that continuity in leadership can be essential to consolidating institutional gains and preserving reform momentum. In an era where public institutions are increasingly judged by measurable outcomes rather than tenure calendars, rewarding performance has become a hallmark of purposeful governance.

Importantly, the decision is neither unprecedented nor extraordinary. Successive administrations have retained high-performing public officials beyond conventional timelines when continuity was deemed necessary for institutional stability and reform consolidation.
Under former President Muhammadu Buhari, the then Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), Ja’afar Ahmed, enjoyed two tenure extensions after his appointment in 2016. Though due for retirement in July 2019, he remained in office until 2021 to sustain prison decongestion efforts and ongoing correctional reforms, serving for approximately five years.

Similarly, President Tinubu recently renewed the appointment of Brigadier-General Mohammed Buba Marwa (rtd.) as Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for another five-year term. Since his appointment in 2021, Marwa has overseen unprecedented seizures of illicit drugs, arrests of traffickers, and nationwide campaigns against substance abuse. His reappointment ensures continuity in a reform agenda widely regarded as transformative.

Likewise, Dr. Ahmed Abubakar Audi, Commandant-General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), was granted another five-year tenure beginning in 2026 in recognition of his contributions to the protection of critical national assets, anti-vandalism operations, and institutional strengthening. Upon completion of his renewed term, he would have spent a decade leading the Corps.
Against this backdrop, the extension granted to Bashir Adeniyi is entirely consistent with a well-established tradition of retaining tested and effective leaders to consolidate reforms and sustain institutional progress.

Since assuming office in June 2023, Adeniyi has transformed the Nigeria Customs Service into one of the country’s most efficient and productive agencies. Under his stewardship, Customs has consistently surpassed revenue targets, generating trillions of naira in support of the Federal Government’s fiscal objectives and the Renewed Hope Agenda.

His administration has strengthened anti-smuggling operations, facilitated trade, intercepted illicit arms and narcotics, modernised customs procedures, and deepened stakeholder engagement. Through strategic communication, technology-driven reforms, and professional leadership, Adeniyi has repositioned the Service as a critical pillar of economic growth, border security, and revenue generation.

His success reinforces an important lesson: institutions thrive when competence is allowed to flourish.
Yet, if rewarding excellence remains the guiding principle, there is another public servant whose quiet but impactful transformation deserves national attention—the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Mallam Shehu Mohammed.

Unlike agencies whose achievements are measured in revenue figures, the accomplishments of the FRSC are often reflected in lives saved, accidents prevented, and public confidence restored. Consequently, reforms within the Corps may not always generate banner headlines, but their impact resonates daily across Nigeria’s highways and among millions of road users.

Since his appointment by President Tinubu, Shehu Mohammed has embarked on a far-reaching effort to reposition the FRSC as a technology-driven, service-oriented, and citizen-focused institution. One of his most notable achievements has been the digitalisation and acceleration of driver’s licence and vehicle number plate production.

Long-standing complaints about delays, inefficiency, and bureaucratic bottlenecks are gradually becoming things of the past. Enhanced production capacity, improved logistics, and round-the-clock operations have significantly improved service delivery and public satisfaction.

Beyond administrative reforms, the Corps Marshal has strengthened road safety campaigns, enhanced emergency response systems, expanded technology deployment, and promoted intelligence-driven traffic management. Under his watch, the FRSC has increasingly embraced data analytics and digital solutions in addressing road crashes and improving operational efficiency.

Perhaps even more significant is his commitment to personnel welfare, training, and professionalism. Recognising that institutional effectiveness depends largely on motivated personnel, he has invested in capacity building and organisational discipline while fostering a culture of accountability and service excellence.

His leadership style combines strategic foresight, innovation, and empathy—qualities that have earned him respect within and beyond the Corps.

Indeed, while Adeniyi’s reforms have strengthened government revenue and trade facilitation, Shehu Mohammed’s initiatives are preserving lives, protecting productivity, and contributing to national development through safer roads and more efficient transport systems. Both leaders exemplify the administration’s emphasis on competence, innovation, and measurable results.

The story of public sector reform should not focus solely on agencies that generate revenue. It should also celebrate institutions that save lives, enhance public welfare, and improve the quality of everyday life for citizens.

Road safety is not merely a transportation issue; it is a critical component of economic growth, public health, and national productivity. Every crash prevented translates into lives preserved, businesses protected, healthcare costs reduced, and economic losses averted.
Just as President Tinubu found merit in extending Adeniyi’s tenure to consolidate ongoing reforms, there is a compelling argument for sustaining the momentum of reforms within institutions such as the FRSC. Institutional transformation should not be interrupted when capable hands are delivering measurable results.

History offers ample precedent. From Ja’afar Ahmed under Buhari to Mohammed Buba Marwa and Ahmed Audi under Tinubu, continuity has often served as a catalyst for sustaining reforms and strengthening institutions.

Bashir Adeniyi’s tenure extension is therefore more than an extension of service—it is an extension of progress.
By the same token, preserving the momentum of the reforms initiated by Corps Marshal Shehu Mohammed would represent more than an administrative decision. It would be a strategic investment in safer highways, improved public service delivery, and stronger national institutions.

President Tinubu deserves commendation for placing performance above routine succession. Leadership is not always about changing the baton at the earliest opportunity. Sometimes, preserving institutional memory and consolidating reforms are more valuable than rigid adherence to timelines.

The message from these decisions is clear: merit matters, results count, and excellence will be rewarded.
That, perhaps, is one of the most enduring principles of the Renewed Hope Agenda.

Zekeri Idakwo Laruba, a public analyst writes from Lugbe. [email protected]