Customs CG Adewale Adeniyi Elected President of Nigeria Wrestling Federation, Vows to Prioritise Structural Reforms
The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Adewale Adeniyi, has been elected President of the Nigeria Wrestling Federation (NWF), marking yet another national assignment that underscores his rising influence in Nigeria’s sports administration ecosystem.
Adeniyi, who currently heads one of the nation’s most strategic government agencies, won the election conducted on Saturday, 25 October 2025, at the Gymnasium Hall, Package B of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja.
The election was supervised by officials of the National Sports Commission and witnessed by athletes, coaches, federation delegates and sports administrators from across the country.
His emergence, many stakeholders noted, is coming at a time when Nigeria’s sporting federations are undergoing restructuring and repositioning for global competitiveness.
Before his foray into wrestling administration, Adeniyi was already well-regarded in the country’s wider sports landscape. Under his watch, the Nigeria Customs Service Sports Unit has become one of the most consistent government-backed sporting institutions in the country, producing champions, international medalists, and Olympians across various fields including athletics, weightlifting, badminton, boxing, and football.
Sports analysts say the Customs Sports Unit is today celebrated as a talent factory and credible pipeline for national representation, and Adeniyi is widely credited for strengthening the system, prioritising welfare, and using structured management and performance-driven models to nurture athletes.
Speaking shortly after his election victory, Adeniyi praised the sports reforms currently being driven at the federal level and signalled readiness to align the Wrestling Federation with those priorities.
“I’m beginning to see the dividends of the reforms that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is putting into the sports sector – putting the right people in place, the right processes, and the right systems to drive the electoral process. I am quite satisfied, and I feel this is an environment where I can work and thrive,” he said.
He further pledged to lead a reform-driven era in the Wrestling Federation that focuses on structure, transparency, technical development, innovation in administration, and athlete-centred growth.
According to him, the days of federations surviving on ad-hoc planning, personality influence, or outdated operational patterns must give way to a new era of professional sports governance.
Sports stakeholders, coaches and veterans in the wrestling community have expressed optimism that Adeniyi’s ascendancy will bring in a breath of fresh air.
They argue that his proven ability to build systems, coordinate high-performance programmes and drive inclusive leadership will help reposition wrestling – a sport in which Nigeria has shown dominance on the African continent and demonstrated global potential through athletes like Odunayo Adekuoroye and Blessing Oborududu.
Stakeholders also expect the new President to champion higher funding, better grassroots talent pipelines, stronger technical training support, and improved partnerships with both private and public sector investors.
As Nigeria intensifies its push to improve its competitiveness ahead of continental championships and future Olympic cycles, sports administrators say having a federation president with Adeniyi’s orientation – that is, system-driven, professional, accountable and performance-focused – could be decisive.
The new administration of the Nigeria Wrestling Federation is expected to announce its operational roadmap in the coming weeks.
