In all climes and in every political and socio-economic setting, leaders come and go. Governments, regimes, whether good or bad, must retire to the history books. One era ends and another begins. That is how systems and structures are wired all over the world.
In our usual manner of ensuring responsibility and accountability in all spheres of government, institutions, ministries, departments and agencies, we focus our searchlight on the developments in the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) under the leadership of the Comptroller General of Customs (CGC), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, who was appointed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in acting capacity on June 19, 2023 and made substantive CGC on October 19, 2023.
Truth be told, since his appointment, he has made remarkable progress in the NCS in terms of revenue generation, trade facilitation and inter-agency cooperation, among several other milestones, which have earned him accolades and awards from the Federal Government, stakeholders, the media and the rank and file of the Service.
By and large, the management of the NCS has dispelled rumours of their unwillingness to retire as the senior officers, including the CGC, whose tenure was extended by one year due to his headship of the World Customs Organization (WCO), have all indicated readiness to retire as and when due.
To that extent, in continuation of his desire for efficiency and excellence in the NCS, the Service’s Management under Adeniyi has commenced a gradual leadership transition, going by the accelerated promotions since last year and the several rigorous training programmes being organized for some senior and middle level officers initiated to ensure a smooth and seamless transition of leadership within the Service. This is our lead story for this edition titled: At Last, Customs Commence Gradual Leadership Transition.
Also, concerned by the reported cases of rising oil theft in the country, Tentacle reviews the development in a story titled: As Oil Theft Rises: Knocks Trail Pipeline Surveillance Contracts, with a view to holding Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited (TSSNL) accountable for the rising crude oil theft in the creeks of the Niger Delta, having been saddled with the responsibility of protecting the pipelines for which it earns billions of Naira monthly.
Since securing the contract under former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, which was renewed under the late former President Muhammadu Buhari and the incumbent President Bola Tinubu, Tantita has earned over N300 billion from the pipelines surveillance contract. It has since then embarked on a spree of donations, especially to the Delta State Government Security Trust Fund to the tune of N10 billion and several other Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects running into billions of Naira, which is why Nigerians are now demanding accountability and a decentralization of the project to accommodate other companies from among the oil producing states of the Niger Delta region.
Besides, giving President Tinubu’s promise to ensure constant power supply prior to his election in 2023, Tentacle x-rays the outages across the country, which has sadly engendered protests in various parts of the country including Lagos, Osun and Delta states, among others.
We serve you these and a rich bouquet of other interesting stories in business and economy, crime, entertainment, sports and other developments across the country. Grab a copy and enjoy!
