Adeniyi Bags ‘Iconic Maritime Personality of the Year’ Award

BY FUNMI ALUKO

For his pioneering, record breaking, sterling and excellent performance since assumption of office as the Comptroller general of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, has been nominated for the “Iconic Maritime Personality of the Year 2024” by the Nigerian maritime journalists.

The decision which is coming on the heels of a consensus by the various maritime beat associations that the Comptroller General of Customs has positively impacted the industry and by extension the national economy; and attracted positive attention to Nigeria home and abroad, believes that the recognition is not only well deserving but serves as a statement of gratitude for exhibiting unquantifiable selflessness and dedication to duty.

According to a statement issued by the planning committee constituted by the maritime media beat associations, the award ceremony is slated to hold on Thursday, 16th January, 2025 at the Apapa Port Customs Command Auditorium, Lagos.

The statement signed by Dele Aderibigbe and Innocent Orok, Chairman and Secretary of the Award Planning Committee, respectively, reads:

“All is set for Nigerian Maritime Journalists (NMJ) award to be conferred on the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, as the “Iconic Maritime Personality of the Year 2024”.

“The need for the Nigerian maritime media practitioners to honour the CGC is a unanimous decision by all maritime journalists covering the maritime beat, cutting across print, electronic and online media, led by the different beat associations.

“These include the Maritime Reporters Association of Nigeria (MARAN), League of Maritime Editors (LOME), Association of Maritime Journalists of Nigeria (AMJON), Maritime Journalists Association of Nigeria (MAJAN), Shipping Correspondents Association of Nigeria (SCAN), Online Maritime Media Association of Nigeria (OMMAN) and Congress of Maritime Reporters Association of Nigeria (CONMMEP).

“They believe that CG Adeniyi has registered sterling and excellent performance since his assumption of office as the Customs CGC.”

According to a nomination letter sent to the CGC by the Secretary, Award Planning Committee, Mr Innocent Orok, “there is no gainsaying you have redeemed and repositioned the Service in all areas. These include revenue collection, anti-smuggling activities, trade facilitation, national security, staff welfare, inter-agency collaboration, infrastructural upgrading, Information and Communication Technology, and Corporate Social Responsibility, among others.

“It is also incontestable that your record-breaking performance has attracted national and international laurels to you, the Service, and Nigeria as a whole. Unarguably, it is partly for these reasons that the Leadership Newspaper Group recently honoured you with the award of the Public Service Personality of the Year.

“We, the maritime journalists, comprising both print, electronic and online media covering the beat, are happy to be part of this history-making with you as partners in progress. In appreciation of your superlative performance and, by extension, your unrelenting support to the media, especially the maritime media, we nominate you as the ICONIC MARITIME PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR.”

On his part, the Chairman of Award Planning Committee, Dele Aderibegbe, explained that “the award is coming at no better time than during the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is looking for focused and dedicated leaders to take the Nigerian economy out of the woods.

According to him, “this honour is very symbolic. First, this is the first time in the maritime sub-sector that all the journalists covering the beat will come together to honour a deserving performer per excellence, who has made the Customs and Nigeria proud by his purposeful, professional and patriotic leadership.

“Secondly, the Nigeria Customs Service under Adewale Adeniyi has been reconnected to international frontiers and leading in revenue collection, anti-smuggling activities, trade facilitation, ICT, modernisation, and inter-agency collaboration, among others. This honour by maritime journalists is also to set an agenda for other agencies of government and their appointees that the ever vibrant and dogged maritime media are watching them.

“We are inviting special guests, especially other agencies’ heads and maritime stakeholders to come and witness this great event, which is first of its kind in the Nigerian maritime industry”, he added.