The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has reaffirmed its commitment to leadership excellence and institutional modernisation with a week-long retreat for its newly promoted Comptrollers, aimed at strengthening leadership capacity, innovation, and integrity across commands and formations.
The leadership retreat, held from 7 to 11 October 2025 at the Senator Ahmed Makarfi Auditorium, Nigeria Customs Command and Staff College, Gwagwalada, brought together newly elevated senior officers for an intensive training and reflection on the demands of higher responsibility in a reform-driven Service.
Declaring the retreat open, the Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), DCG Sulaiman Chiroma, described the exercise as a strategic part of the Comptroller-General’s reform agenda to align officers with international Customs standards.
He emphasised that effective leadership at the command level is vital to the success of the Service’s modernisation efforts.
“This retreat provides an opportunity to realign with the CGC’s three-point agenda – collaboration, consolidation, and innovation – to ensure that every officer contributes meaningfully to the modernisation drive of the Service,” DCG Chiroma stated.
He urged the newly promoted Comptrollers to be deliberate in leadership, uphold discipline, and demonstrate accountability and innovation in their operations. According to him, their performance and conduct will define the public image of the Service.
In his closing remarks, the Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Human Resource Development, DCG Greg Itotoh, commended the participants for their dedication throughout the retreat, describing their elevation as both a reward for past performance and a call to greater service.
“The Nigeria Customs Service expects much from you. You are now managers of men and resources, and you must embody the discipline, excellence, and transparency that define the vision of the Comptroller-General,” he said.
He further advised the officers to apply lessons learnt during the retreat to enhance operational efficiency, mentor subordinates, and strengthen the Service’s relationship with stakeholders. “Every decision you take in your command will reflect not just on you, but on the Service as a whole,” he added.
The National Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Customs Service, Assistant Comptroller of Customs Abdullahi Maiwada, also delivered a paper during the retreat titled “Stakeholder Management, Media Community, and Employee Relationship.”
In his presentation, AC Maiwada highlighted the importance of effective communication, transparency, and stakeholder engagement in achieving organisational success.
“Public relations is not just about disseminating information; it is about relationship building, maintaining credibility, and ensuring that every Customs officer becomes an ambassador of the Service’s integrity,” he noted.
Maiwada urged the newly promoted Comptrollers to shun gossip, foster open communication within their commands, and cultivate professional relationships with staff and external partners to strengthen public trust in the Service.
Speaking to journalists at the end of the retreat, Comptrollers Usman Yahaya, Murtala Mu’azu, and Josephine Egwakide expressed gratitude to the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, and the management team for their confidence and investment in leadership development.
They pledged to uphold the values of professionalism, integrity, and excellence while ensuring that the CGC’s vision of institutional transformation, stakeholder confidence, and enhanced revenue performance is fully realised.
The retreat, which forms part of the ongoing leadership development initiative of the NCS, underscores the Service’s commitment to building a forward-thinking, innovative, and accountable leadership structure capable of driving national trade facilitation and border management objectives.
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