Uche Cecil Izuora
The Comptroller‑General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, has reaffirmed the Service’s commitment to revitalising its institutional relationship with Yakubu Gowon University (formerly University of Abuja) to deepen support for education, research, and student advancement.
The pledge was made during a courtesy visit by the university’s leadership at the Customs Headquarters in Maitama, Abuja, on Tuesday, 5 May 2026.
CGC Adeniyi welcomed the Vice‑Chancellor, Professor Hakeem Fawehinmi, and the institution’s principal officers, recalling that the service and the university have had a long‑standing association. He noted that formal efforts to consolidate the partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding began several years ago during his tenure as Commandant of the Nigeria Customs Command and Staff College, but were interrupted by leadership transitions on both sides.
Despite the earlier setback, the Comptroller‑General highlighted that the Service has continued to support the university through targeted interventions. He mentioned, among other efforts, the provision of a 32‑seater bus for transportation and the establishment of a fully equipped computer centre with about one hundred workstations, underscoring the Service’s interest in building durable institutional linkages.
CGC Adeniyi told the university management that the new proposal for collaboration would be reviewed with a focus on projects that are expected to deliver tangible impact. “Our interest goes beyond institutional legacy; what matters most is the real impact on students and the learning environment,” he said, acknowledging the challenges confronting Nigerian universities, especially in transport, infrastructure, and digital connectivity.
He indicated that the Customs Service would adopt a phased approach to implementation where necessary, prioritising high‑impact initiatives if multiple projects cannot be executed simultaneously. The Comptroller‑General also stressed the need for a university in Abuja that matches the stature of the Federal Capital Territory and expressed his readiness to support the growth of Yakubu Gowon University as a centre of academic excellence and leadership development.
Earlier in the engagement, Professor Fawehinmi commended the leadership of the Comptroller‑General and the Nigeria Customs Service, describing the Service as a key contributor to the Federal Government’s economic and governance reforms. He said the visit was also intended to explore new levels of strategic partnership, particularly given the university’s undergraduate population of close to 40,000 and its status as the only conventional public university in the Federal Capital Territory.
The Vice‑Chancellor pointed to areas such as mass transit, ICT infrastructure, research equipment, and professional training as priority zones for collaboration. He also highlighted the university’s Centre for Defence and Migration Studies as a potential knowledge hub for joint work with the Customs Service on border management, migration research, executive training, and national security analysis.
Both parties agreed that any future collaboration should be structured to maximise benefits for students and the wider society, with the Nigeria Customs Service and Yakubu Gowon University positioned as complementary actors in national development and nation‑building.