Sports Development: Customs Boss, Adewale Adeniyi, Honoured 

By Arinzechi Chukwunonso

The Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, has been conferred with the prestigious Abuja All Stars Veteran International Award for Excellence in Leadership, in recognition of his exemplary leadership, visionary reforms, and consistent support for sports development in Nigeria.

The honour was presented on Saturday at the grand finale of the 2025 Abuja All Stars Veteran Football Tournament, a highly anticipated sporting event that brought together 22 veteran football clubs from across the Federal Capital Territory.

In his remarks, Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Malam Shehu Dikko, commended Adeniyi’s transformative leadership within the Nigeria Customs Service, while also highlighting his remarkable role in promoting grassroots sports and sustaining veteran football initiatives nationwide. “The Comptroller-General has written his name on the sands of time, not only through progressive customs reforms but also through his enduring contributions to Nigerian sports,” Dikko noted.

Receiving the award on behalf of the CGC, the Sports Secretary of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Samuel Onikeku, expressed gratitude to the organizers, reaffirming Adeniyi’s commitment to leveraging sports as a tool for community development, social inclusion, and national unity.

The climax of the tournament provided fitting drama, as debutants New Karu All Stars defied the odds to defeat the more experienced Karu Veterans, clinching the 2025 championship trophy in front of an electrified crowd.