Adewale Adeniyi, the newly appointed acting comptroller-general of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), has assumed office.
Adeniyi took over on Monday, from Hameed Ali, the immediate ex-comptroller-general of customs, appointed by former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.
The acting comptroller-general was among those appointed last week by President Bola Tinubu.
Speaking during the ceremony, Adewale said he would build on the “solid foundation” laid by Ali.
“Senior officers would have noticed that Hameed Ali has remarkably transformed (customs) within the seven years that he was here,” he said.
“During our meetings, such as this, when he came in 2015, and because of the kind of background that he has, he considered us as ‘you’. Today, he made several references that he is part of us, he used the word family about three times. He came in as a retired colonel but he is going out as a customs officer.
“I want to say you have discharged your responsibility to the best of your knowledge. Sometimes we feel that you are not compromising, sometimes people think the military background takes more of you. There is nobody that can take away the fact that you are a firm leader.
“We also appreciate your vision. What is left for us to do is to build on the solid foundation you have prepared for us and consolidate on some of those programmes (you put in place).”
Before the event, Adewale was decorated with his new rank at the presidential villa by Vice President Kashim Shettima.
