CG Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR.

It was indeed a rare and Iconic event as the media practitioners in the maritime industry collapsed all thick walls and buried their many differences to honour the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR with the Iconic Maritime Personality of the Year 2024″ Award.

It was rare and Iconic in the sense that it was the first time in history that such an award was bestowed on any CEO of the maritime agencies, not even any of the over seven Comptrollers General that have superintended over the affairs of the Service at least in the last 25 years.

From left: Assistant Comptroller General of Customs rtd., Charles Edike, Maritime Media practitioner, Okey Ibeke, CG Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi and a stakeholder arriving for the award.

It was also rare and Iconic that the maritime media practitioners, numbering over 150 with nearly 10 beat associations and still counting…; the highest in any beat in the country came under the aegis of the Nigerian Maritime Journalists NMJ to bestow the award. The award was in recognition of the CGC’s exceptional performance across all the performance induces for the Service, which also cut across its core functions and mandates. Among these are revenue generation, trade facilitation, enhancing border security by suppressing smuggling activities and even robust stakeholders’ engagements, which has facilitated the achievement of these core functions.

Select senior officers of Customs, who dressed in white in solidarity with their boss also graced the ocsasion.

Speaking at the ceremony, which held Thursday, February 13, 2025, the CGC expressed his optimism in maintaining the positive trajectory of 2024, despite the challenges that lie ahead.

“Gradually, we are beginning to restore some sanity in the environment of policy formation and in the area of implementation, where we play a significant role. In 2025, we will continue in the same trajectory of ensuring that duty collection is done in an environment where there is ease in trade facilitation”, he stated.

On his award, the CGC was full of appreciation to maritime journalists for considering him for the honour. “The symbolism of this award is that we have something that serve as a rallying point for all associations in the maritime journalism industry.”

He called for closer ties among maritime journalists and freight forwarders in the nation’s shipping industry, while also encouraging maritime journalists to engage in training programs that would make the association stand together and benefit more.

Many maritime media practitioners have variously described the award as a unanimous decision by all maritime journalists.

“This is the first time in the sub-sector everyone will come together to honour a deserving performer per excellence who has made the NCS and Nigeria proud by his purposeful, professional, and patriotic leadership”, they have said.