Lilypond Export Command: Comptroller Ariyibi Bows Out After Distinguished, Meritorious Career

..Hands Over Leadership Baton to DC Salako

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Lilypond Export Command, has witnessed a change in leadership following the retirement of its Customs Area Controller (CAC), Comptroller Samuel Olusanya Ariyibi, after a distinguished and meritorious career in the Service.

According to a statement issued on Tuesday by the Command’s spokesperson, Assistant Superintendent of Customs(ASC) Olusola Oke, Comptroller Ariyibi formally handed over the affairs of the Command to Deputy Comptroller Olusola O. Salako, who assumed duty as the Acting Customs Area Controller, at a handing-over and taking-over ceremony conducted in line with the established administrative procedures of the Service, on 24 August 2026.

In his farewell remarks, retired Comptroller Ariyibi expressed appreciation to the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, the management of the Nigeria Customs Service, officers and men of the Command, as well as critical stakeholders, for their support and cooperation throughout his tenure.

He attributed the achievements recorded by the Command to teamwork, professionalism, discipline, dedication and effective collaboration among officers and stakeholders.

Ariyibi, who bowed out of the Service after a distinguished career, urged officers and men of the Command to extend the same spirit of cooperation and commitment to the incoming Acting CAC.

 

He charged them to sustain the operational standards and gains recorded during his tenure, expressing confidence in the ability of the new leadership to build on the foundation already laid and further advance the mandate of the Lilypond Export Command.

 

Responding, the incoming Acting CAC, Deputy Comptroller Olusola O. Salako, commended Ariyibi for his dedicated and meritorious service to the Nigeria Customs Service and his contributions to the growth and development of the Command.

 

Salako pledged to provide purposeful, responsive and professional leadership while advancing the core mandates of the Service, particularly trade facilitation, regulatory compliance, anti-smuggling operations and effective stakeholder engagement.

 

He called for continued cooperation, discipline and professionalism among officers and men of the Command, stressing the importance of collective responsibility in achieving the objectives of the Service and the strategic mandate of the Lilypond Export Command.

 

The Acting CAC also solicited the continued support and cooperation of stakeholders towards strengthening the Command’s operational effectiveness and its contribution to national economic development.

 

The handing-over ceremony formally marked the conclusion of Ariyibi’s tenure as Customs Area Controller of Lilypond Export Command following his retirement from the Nigeria Customs Service, and the assumption of duty by Salako as Acting CAC.

 

The officers and men of the Command appreciated Ariyibi for his distinguished, dedicated and meritorious service to the Service and the nation, while wishing him a fulfilling retirement.

 

They also welcomed the Acting CAC and wished him a successful and impactful tenure.