By Peace Udugba -The daily torch media
The Comptroller-General of Customs and Chairperson of the Council of the World Customs Organization (WCO), Adewale Adeniyi, made history on Monday, March 23, 2026, as he delivered the keynote address at the opening of the 46th Session of the WCO Enforcement Committee held at the organisation’s headquarters in Brussels.
The milestone event marked the first time in the Committee’s 43-year history that its opening session was jointly addressed by both the WCO Secretary-General, Ian Saunders, and the Council Chairperson. This unprecedented development underscored the growing strategic importance of the Enforcement Committee and positioned the Nigeria Customs Service at the centre of a defining moment in global customs cooperation.
The session also highlighted a significant shift in the Committee’s operational outlook, transitioning from a predominantly enforcement-focused platform to a more policy-driven body addressing a broader range of contemporary challenges. These include detection technologies, intelligence sharing, supply chain integrity, and trade-based money laundering, all within a more structured and forward-looking framework. The ongoing review of the Committee’s Terms of Reference, last updated in 2009, reflects efforts to align its governance with the realities of an increasingly complex global trade environment.
In his keynote address, Adeniyi commended customs administrations worldwide for their sustained efforts in combating transnational organised crime. He emphasised the evolving nature of threats within global supply chains and the urgent need for coordinated, intelligence-led enforcement strategies. “Customs enforcement today is no longer about isolated seizures; it is about protecting the integrity of global trade,” he said.
As part of its contribution to the session, the Nigeria Customs Service is expected to present field-level perspectives on fragile border management, drawing from its operational experience as a frontline administration in one of Africa’s most challenging border environments. These insights are expected to enrich ongoing global discourse and strengthen policy considerations within the enforcement community.
The Comptroller-General concluded his address with a call for deeper collaboration among customs administrations, noting that “when customs administrations work together, enforcement becomes stronger, trade becomes safer, and the global economy becomes more resilient.”
On the sidelines of the session, delegates witnessed a live demonstration of drone technology by the Netherlands Customs team, highlighting the growing role of unmanned systems in modern border surveillance.
