The President/Chairman Governing Council of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, Mal Mukhtar Sirajo, Members of the Governing Council, Fellows, Chair of State Chapters and other members of the Institute had on Wednesday 23 August 2023 paid a courtesy visit to the Ag. Comptroller-General of Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR at the NCS Headquarters, Abuja.

The visit, according to Mukhtar Sirajo, was to congratulate the Ag. CGC on his appointment by President Bola Ahmad Tinubu GCFR and also to discuss the Institute’s level of preparedness to hold its Annual General Meeting and elections slated for Thursday, 23rd August 2023.

He said, “As this meeting marks my final act as the President, I feel mandated to congratulate the Nigeria Customs Service for having Bashir Adewale Adeniyi as Ag. Comptroller-General of the Service, I want to tell you that he is an excellent team player.”

He, however, appealed to the CGC to deploy patience and humility in his leadership to take the Service to the next level while assuring the audience that the Nigeria Customs Service will be better under his supervision.

He assured the CGC that the Nigeria Institute of Public Relations will not relent in supporting him in all ramifications to succeed.

Responding, the Ag. Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR, welcomed the entourage to Customs House, hoping that the AGM, electioneering process and transition will be successful.

The Ag. CGC, who is a Fellow of the Nigeria Institute of Public Relations and also the Vice President of the Institute, expressed his appreciation, assuring that the Nigeria Customs Service will continue to support the professional body.

“Now that you are in Abuja for this AGM and elections, I want to implore all of us to maintain our good relationships even after the election, irrespective of how it goes.” He concluded.

…Refute Claims Of Extortion On Containers

The Area Commander of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Tin Can Island Port Special Area Command, Mohammed Aminu Abubakar CN has disclosed that the Command recorded seizures of 799.95kg of cannabis indica imported from mainly Canada and USA between the period of January through August 22 of year 2023.

The said drugs intercepted within the period has street value put at 2,664,230,000 naira. While another 24kg of cocaine from a bulk cargo vessel MV Cooper Island at one of the terminals was also intercepted within the period under review.

According to a press statement made available to news men on Tuesday in Lagos, the Command debunked a reports published by an online news portal alleging involvement of operatives of NDLEA involvement in extortion of money on containers from clearing agents and shippers at the port on the watch list for drug import, adding that such allegations are completely baseless without any merit.

Stating that watch listing containers has a standard procedure that must be followed, Abubakar said :”Firstly, it is important to clarify the purpose of watch listing containers. The watch listing process is a standard procedure implemented to ensure international trade compliance and security.

“It seeks to prevent illegal activities such as smuggling, money laundering, or trafficking, among others. It is a globally recognized practice that aims to protect the interests of countries and their citizens.

“To insinuate that our organization would engage in extortion under the guise of watch listing containers is not only unfounded but also malicious. We pride ourselves on maintaining the highest ethical standards and strictly adhere to all legal and regulatory requirements

He maintained that the command maun focus is solely on promoting transparency, facilitating legitimate trade, and maintaining the integrity of the supply chain.

The Area Commander hinted that the real impediments to the federal government ease of doing business at the port are the non-compliance alongside with false declaration of cargo and concealments by the importers and traders aided by agents.

In his words “Importers and agents are expected to be honest and transparent in their activities which will make our jobs easier and straightforward.

“Unfortunately, the tendency of the importers and abetting by agents to effect false declaration and concealment have led to too numerous seizures of illicit drugs shipped into the country.

“Arrests and prosecution of many importers and their collaborators (agents) by NDLEA Tin can command is a testament that we operate in highly non-compliant environment. ”

He explained further that the watch listing process is not undertaken independently by officials of NDLEA noting that It involves collaboration with government authorities, customs agencies, and relevant stakeholders who are responsible for overseeing and implementing these measures.

He stressed that these checks and balances ensure that decisions made regarding container watch listing are based on actionable intelligence and objective risk assessments rather than personal interests.

“We strongly refute any claims of improper conduct or ulterior motives in the watch listing process. Such baseless accusations not only tarnish our reputation but also undermine the credibility of the entire international trade ecosystem.

“We remain committed to upholding the highest standards of professional integrity and will not hesitate to take appropriate legal action against those spreading false allegations.

The Chief Executive Officer of Wealthy Honey Investment Limited and immediate past Acting National President of Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) , Dr Farinto Collins Kayode has congratulated the Ministers of Transportation, Adegboyega Oyetola and Minster of Marine and Blue Economy, Olubumi Tunji-Ojo on their appointments, promising that ANLCA and other maritime stakeholders will rally round them to succeed in their new task.

Dr Farinto who spoke with newsmen on Friday in Lagos said he is very happy that the President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu yielded to the patriotic call by stakeholders including himself for the balcanization of the bogus Transportation Ministry in order to fully harnessed the potentials of the Nigerian maritime industry, especially the Blue Economy project.

Farinto in his words disclosed ‘I must say that am very happy with Mr President for having a listening ear and acting as such. You could remember I was in the forefront of asking the President to balcanize the Ministry of transportation which in my view was very bogus , but not performing optimally. So I started glamoring if you could remember since the President Mohammedu Buhari regime, even though the last regime did not create it, but we never stopped.

” It may surprise you that during the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu campaigns , I made a proposal for the maritime industry and I suggested the creation of Ministry of Maritime Affairs. Am happy that our efforts yielded fruit and now we have Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.

” It will also interest you to know that, when Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu won the presidential election, while congratulating him in June, I reminded him of the need to create a Ministry of Maritime Affairs.”

According to the letter dated 20th June, 2023, addressed to President Bola Tinubu, with the title “THE NEED TO CREATE MINISTRY OF MARITIME AFFAIRS” Farinto said ” your Excellency Sir, the previous administrations up to President Mohammedu Buhari have administered the maritime industry through the Federal Ministry of Transportation, which is too large and bogus , hence the reason that all these administrations were unable to harness the maritime industry and tap the full potentials properly. The last administration was only able to concentrate on the rejuvenation of the rail system, which was not even completed”, part of the letter reads.

The letter also suggested that if the Ministry of Maritime Affairs is created , it will achieve the United Nations , Sustainable Development Goals which provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet with 17 SDGs.

The proposal further suggested that the new Ministry can calve out such agencies like Nigerian Aquatic Splendour Authority ( NASA), National Inland Waterways Authority ( NIWA), Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Department of Oceanography (DOO) and Department of Maritime Insurance ( DOMI) and others as may be required.

Dr Farinto however promised to make himself available for contributions and advises to make sure the new Ministry kicks -off properly to harness the Nigerian maritime and Blue Economy potentials for the property of all Nigerians.

He said he will support both Ministers and the Federal government to make sure , the maritime industry which has a lot of human and material resources is repositioned to create employment for the teeming unemployed youths as well as generate more revenue for government .