By Tony Obiechina, Abuja

The Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) has approved the appointment of Engr. Adeleye Falade, FNSE, as a Director on its Board.

The appointment, according to a statement  yesterday by NESG Chief Exwcutjve Officer, Dr Tayo Aduloju,  was announced at the NESG 2026 Annual General Meeting (AGM), held on July 14, 2026, at the NESG Summit House in Lagos and virtually.

According to the statement, the AGM, which reviewed the activities and financial performance of the organisation for the financial year ended December 31, 2025, brought together members of the Board of Directors, members of the Group, auditors, company secretaries, and key stakeholders.

The appointment of Falade further reflects the NESG’s commitment to strengthening its leadership with accomplished professionals whose expertise and experience will support the Group’s mission of promoting sustainable economic development, inclusive growth, and private sector-driven transformation in Nigeria.

 Falade is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG), one of the world’s leading liquefied natural gas companies and a strategic contributor to Nigeria’s economic development and energy transition agenda. He brings close to three decades of leadership experience across the global oil and gas industry, spanning upstream, midstream, and LNG operations.

Over the course of his career, Falade has built a distinguished record within the Shell Group and the international LNG industry, holding senior technical, operational, and executive leadership positions across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Russia, and Africa. His expertise spans operations management, business transformation, engineering, production optimisation, organisational effectiveness, operational excellence, and stakeholder engagement.

Prior to his appointment as Managing Director and CEO of NLNG, Falade served as Managing Director of Brunei LNG Sendirian Berhad, where he led one of the world’s established LNG producers. He also served as Country Chair for Shell Namibia, providing strategic leadership for Shell’s business and stakeholder engagements in the country.

He held key leadership positions at NLNG, including General Manager, Production, and Operations Manager, where he contributed to advancing plant reliability, operational performance, safety, and business improvement initiatives. He is widely recognised for his commitment to safety, operational discipline, governance excellence, organisational transformation, and sustainable value creation.

Falade holds a bachelor’s degree in Electrical/Electronics Engineering from the University of Ibadan and an MBA from Henley Business School, University of Reading, United Kingdom. He is a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (FNSE) and a registered engineer with the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN).

As a Director on the NESG Board, Falade brings deep expertise in energy, infrastructure, governance, business transformation, and national economic development. His extensive private-sector experience will contribute valuable perspectives to the NESG’s policy dialogue and its efforts to advance reforms that promote investment, productivity, competitiveness, and sustainable economic growth.

By Tambaya Julius, Abuja

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has earned international recognition after its flagship Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, Customs Cares, won the Commonwealth Environment and CSR Gold Award in Glasgow, Scotland.

The prestigious award, presented on Friday, July 31, 2026, recognises organisations implementing measurable, sustainable and community-driven initiatives that contribute significantly to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Customs Cares received the top honour for its impactful interventions in education, healthcare, food security and environmental sustainability across communities in Nigeria.

Receiving the award on behalf of the Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, the Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Enforcement, Investigation and Inspection, Timi Bomodi, described the recognition as a landmark achievement in the Service’s ongoing transformation.

“This award is both humbling and inspiring. It affirms our belief that public institutions create their greatest value not only by fulfilling their statutory mandates, but by improving lives and strengthening the communities they serve,” Bomodi said.

Adeniyi attributed the international recognition to the support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, noting that the Customs Cares initiative has positively impacted more than 10 million Nigerians across 12 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

According to the CGC, the programme has delivered school renovation projects, healthcare interventions, clean water facilities, food support and the Green Borders Initiative aimed at promoting environmental sustainability.

“Beyond every classroom renovated, every borehole commissioned and every tree planted is something even more enduring; trust,” he said.

Also speaking at the event, the Governor of Tharaka Nithi County, Kenya, Muthomi Njuki, stressed the importance of global collaboration in addressing climate change.

He said no nation could tackle the climate crisis alone, emphasising that accountability, partnerships, innovation and shared responsibility remain essential to building a greener, safer and more prosperous world.

The Comptroller in charge of CSR at the Nigeria Customs Service, Mbwiduffu Ibrahim, said the global recognition would further motivate the Service to expand its community development efforts.

“For a long time, we worked believing that the impact in our communities was reward enough. Today, this international recognition tells us that those efforts have not gone unnoticed,” she said.

According to the organisers, the Nigeria Customs Service earned the award for its innovative Hub-and-Spoke Community Activation Model, which has strengthened community engagement and expanded the reach of its CSR interventions.

The organisers added that the award reinforces the NCS’s growing reputation as a modern customs administration committed to revenue generation, trade facilitation, border security and sustainable national development.

By David Torough, Abuja

A Lagos-based law firm, Law Pharm LP, has petitioned Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, urging him to immediately suspend the administrative process leading to the appointment and installation of Prince Ibrahim Adebowale Saliu as the Onise of Ise Kingdom, pointing out pending litigation before the Lagos State High Court.

In a petition dated August 3, 2026, and signed by Adekunle Biobaku Esq.

, the solicitors, acting for claimants in Suit No. EPD/15252GCMW/2026, between Alh Prince R O Ogunbajo Adegoroye, Prince Adefowope Adenupebi Adegoroye, Prince Adelaja Adeyinka Salisu Adegoroye and others vs Gov of Lagos state, Attorney General and Commissioner for justice , Lagos state and four others warned that allowing the process to continue before the court determines the dispute could undermine the rule of law and fuel tension in the community.

The petition, also copied to the Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Rural Development, Lagos State said the government should preserve the status quo until the courts pronounce on the legality of the competing claims.

“Our clients have directed us to respectfully bring to Your Excellency’s attention a development which, if not urgently addressed, is capable of undermining the administration of justice, eroding public confidence in the rule of law and creating avoidable tension in Ise Kingdom,” the petition read.

According to the lawyers, the dispute over the vacant Onise stool is already before the Lagos State High Court in two separate suits; Suit No. ID/107169CM/2026 between Prince Taibu Adewale Ogunbanjo and another against the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Lagos State and four others, as well as Suit No. EPD/15252GCMW/2026 filed by their clients.

The firm stated that its clients’ case first came up before the High Court sitting in Epe on June 29, 2026, but was adjourned to October 29 after the court did not sit.

It disclosed that it had earlier written to the Attorney-General and the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Rural Development on July 24, 2026, notifying them of the pending litigation and reminding the government of its obligation to maintain the status quo pending the determination of the case.

The petition further stated that the Lekki Local Council Development Area (LCDA), the authority responsible for the appointment process, had informed the state government that multiple nominations had emerged from the Okunoye Ruling House and that issues surrounding the nomination of Prince Ibrahim Adebowale Saliu and the applicable chieftaincy declaration were already before the court.

According to the solicitors, the council consequently indicated that it could not proceed with the appointment process until the pending suits were determined.

They also said the LCDA convened a stakeholders’ meeting involving the contending families and cautioned against taking any action capable of prejudicing the court proceedings.

However, the lawyers expressed disappointment that the Lagos State Ministry of Justice allegedly advised the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Rural Development to continue with the administrative process for Prince Saliu’s approval and appointment.

“It is therefore with profound disappointment that our clients learnt that notwithstanding these developments, the Ministry of Justice issued legal advice directing the Ministry to proceed with the administrative process leading to the approval and appointment of Prince Ibrahim Adebowale Saliu as the Onise of Ise Kingdom,” the petition stated.

The petition reproduced portions of the Attorney-General’s legal advice, which reportedly concluded that Prince Saliu’s nomination complied with the Obas and Chiefs of Lagos State Law, 2015, and advised the ministry to continue the approval process.

However, the solicitors argued that the legal advice effectively determined issues that were already before competent courts.

“It is deducible from the above legal advice that the Honourable Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice has unilaterally constituted itself as a party, the Bar and the Bench on the same issues that have been submitted for adjudication before Courts of competent jurisdiction,” the petition alleged.

The lawyers further argued that proceeding with the appointment would amount to presenting the court with a completed act before judgment.

“The Government has elected to determine administratively questions that are already awaiting judicial determination. Such a course would be inconsistent with the constitutional doctrine of separation of powers, diminish public confidence in the impartiality of Government and risk creating avoidable tension within Ise Kingdom,” the petition added.

To support their position, the solicitors cited the Supreme Court decisions in Governor of Lagos State v. Ojukwu (1986) and Kotoye v. Central Bank of Nigeria (1989), arguing that parties to a pending suit must preserve the subject matter of the litigation until the court reaches a final decision.

The petition also relied on Section 6(6)(a) and (b) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which vests judicial powers in the courts.

The lawyers appealed to Governor Sanwo-Olu to direct the immediate suspension of every administrative process relating to the approval, recognition or installation of any person as the Onise of Ise Kingdom awaiting the determination of the pending suits before the High Court.

They also urged the governor to direct the Ministries of Justice and Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Rural Development to refrain from taking further steps capable of prejudicing the proceedings, maintain the existing status quo and ensure that all government agencies act in accordance with the rule of law.

“Our clients remain steadfast in their confidence that Your Excellency’s administration will take immediate steps to preserve the integrity of the judicial process and prevent any action capable of rendering the pending proceedings nugatory,” the petition stated.

As of press time, the Lagos State Government had not responded to the petition.