By Suleiman Aremu | Solaremnews
Fifty officers of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) have graduated from the three-month Junior Course 25 at the Nigeria Customs Command and Staff College (NCCSC), Gwagwalada, Abuja, in a development aimed at strengthening the Service’s professional leadership and operational capacity.
The graduation ceremony, held on Friday, 28 August 2026, brought together senior officers, instructors, families and other stakeholders to celebrate the successful completion of the intensive training programme by the officers.
Speaking as the Special Guest of Honour, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, charged the graduating officers to place integrity, sound judgment and the national interest above personal considerations as they assume new responsibilities across the Service.
Adeniyi stressed that modern Customs administration requires officers to demonstrate leadership, competence and accountability beyond the traditional responsibility of revenue collection.
He urged the graduates to apply the knowledge and skills acquired during the course to effectively respond to the increasingly complex operational environment confronting Customs administrations globally.
“Leadership is not defined solely by the rank that you wear, but is demonstrated through competence, fairness, courage and the responsibility you take,” the Comptroller-General told the officers.
He said the responsibilities attached to leadership positions within the NCS require officers to make decisions that reflect professionalism, fairness and commitment to the overall interests of Nigeria.
According to him, the training represents an important stage in the officers’ career development, equipping them with the capacity to handle operational responsibilities while maintaining the values and standards expected of officers of the Nigeria Customs Service.
The Commandant of the Nigeria Customs Command and Staff College, Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs Dow Gaura, commended the officers for their dedication and commitment throughout the three-month programme.
Gaura also highlighted efforts by the College to continuously improve its training capacity through institutional upgrades, including the deployment of digital learning tools and strategic training partnerships with relevant security institutions.
He pointed particularly to the College’s collaboration with the Nigerian Army, which he said was part of efforts to expose Customs officers to broader professional and operational perspectives required for effective leadership.
The graduation ceremony featured the presentation of certificates to all 50 officers who successfully completed Junior Course 25.
The three best-performing officers in the course were also recognised with special awards presented by the Comptroller-General of Customs in recognition of their outstanding performance.
The activities marking the graduation had commenced earlier in the week with a regimental dinner held on Wednesday, 26 August 2026.
At the dinner, the Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs, Suleiman Chiroma, who represented the Comptroller-General, challenged the graduating officers to carry the discipline, vigilance and leadership skills acquired during their training into their various post-graduation assignments.
Chiroma urged them to remain decisive and alert as they return to their respective commands, stressing the importance of translating classroom knowledge into effective performance in the field.
The successful completion of Junior Course 25 underscores the NCS’s continued investment in human capital development as the Service seeks to build a more professional, technologically driven and accountable workforce capable of meeting the demands of contemporary Customs administration.
The training at the NCCSC Gwagwalada forms part of the Service’s broader efforts to develop officers with the leadership capacity required to effectively support revenue generation, trade facilitation, border security and other statutory responsibilities of the Nigeria Customs Service.
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