When CGC Bashir Adewale Adeniyi was appointed on the 19th of June, 2023 as the Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Service. Many Nigerians, particularly those in the meantime industry, saw his appointment as a right step in the right direction.
Shortly after his appointment and inauguration, CG Bashir Adeniyi embarked on courtesy visits and engagements with relevant stakeholders, particularly in the meantime industry.
These moves that hit the ground running for the CG, were witnessed in the Western and Northern Zones of the country. Though, there were speculations on the CG’s intended visit to the Eastern Zone in that regard, then, which is yet to happen.
The aforementioned administrative strides by CG Bashir Adewale Adeniyi in his one year of transformative leadership marked on the 19th of June, 2024 were nonetheless, acknowledged and commended by critical and relevant stakeholders in the maritime industry.
These reach-outs were adjudged to have provided a soft landing for the achievements of the CG in the last one year of transformative leadership, as the Comptroller General (CG) of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).
As the CG journeys in the 2nd year of hisadministration, it is pertinent to state that the various visits and engagements by Mr. BA Adeniyi, which heralded his core achievement of being the highest revenue generator in the history of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) in just one year, is yet to be experienced by stakeholders in the Eastern Zone.
Despite an unpublicized visit of the CG in PortHarcourt, the Rivers State capital, where he had a meeting with selected stakeholders, shortly after his well publicized engagement with stakeholders and visits to Customs’ formations in the Western Zone, among others and recent visit to Onne Area II Customs Command for a press briefing on seizures of Arms and Ammunition, among others. The CG is yet to carry out any official visit in the Eastern Zone, in the areas of stakeholders engagement or interaction with men and officers of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) in the zone.
Such engagement will no doubt, boost the morale or serve as a motivating factor to his officers in the zone; same way his policy statement that officers who staked their lives to ensure the seizure of Arms and Ammunition at Onne Command be adequately rewarded and those on the contrary to also have theirs, was indeed, commendable.
At a recent One Day Stakeholders’ Seminar in PortHarcourt, organized by Nigerian Shippers’ Council, South-South Coordinating Office, Engr. Dr. Innocent Akuvue, President, National Shippers Association of Nigeria, did say that there cannot be business at the port, if there is no cargo, hence his position that his Association be involved in policy decision on issues that has to do with Shippers.
The issue of Freight Differential was also raised by Mr. Ofon Udofia, Chairman, Rivers and Bayelsa States Shippers Association, as well as other pertinent issues raised by Dr. Babalola James, PRO, Shipping Trade Practitioners Association of Nigeria, Rivers State branch, among others; that have to do with their businesses with the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) at the fora.
Looking at the critical roles that the Shippers, Importers and Exporters, as well as Freight Forwarders in the Eastern Zone are playing, which translates to the huge revenue generation to the Federation Account, through the Nigeria Customs Service, it is expected that the CG will extend his visits and engagements to the Eastern Zone, for consolidation on the gains of his one year in office achievements.
The anticipated visits and engagements, if extended by CG Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, will help to address some of the aforementioned issues raised by stakeholders and further strengthens the relationship between Nigeria Customs Service and all relevant
stakeholders in the maritime industry.
