A coalition of journalists under the auspices of the Nigerian Maritime Journalists (NMJ) has disclosed that arrangements have been concluded to confer the ‘Iconic Maritime Personality of the Year 2024’ award on the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi.
Organisers of the award pointed out that the need for the Nigerian maritime media practitioners to honour the CGC is a unanimous decision of all maritime journalists comprising print, electronic and online media, led by the various beat associations.
The groups 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 Media Practitioners (CONMMEP).
In a nomination letter sent to the CGC, Secretary, Award Planning Committee, Innocent Orok, said: Adeniyi has redeemed and repositioned the Service in all areas. These include revenue collection, anti-smuggling activities, trade facilitation, national security, staff welfare, inter-agency collaboration, infrastructure upgrading, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), among others.
“It is in this regard that maritime journalists, comprising 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 impressive 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, Chairman of the Award Planning Committee, Dele Aderibigbe, said: “The award is coming at no better time than during the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is bent on engaging focused and dedicated leaders to take the Nigerian economy out of the woods.
“This honour is symbolic. First, this is the first time in the maritime sub-sector that all the journalists 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 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 will also to set an agenda for other government agencies and their appointees that the ever vibrant and dogged maritime media are watching them.
“We, therefore, invite special guests, heads of other agencies and maritime stakeholders to come and witness the event, which is the first of its kind in the Nigerian maritime industry, slated for 12 noon on Thursday, January 16, 2025 at the Apapa Port Customs Command Auditorium.”
