The Nigeria Customs Service has organised a leadership retreat for its newly promoted comptrollers with a focus on strengthening leadership capacity, innovation, and institutional integrity across commands and formations.
This was contained in Wednesday’s release by the National Public Relations of the service, Abdullahi Maiwada, an Assistant Comptroller of Customs.
According to Maiwada, the four-day retreat which took place in Abuja was declared open by the Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Training and Doctrine Command, Sulaiman Chiroma, and officially brought to a close by the Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of Human Resource Development, Greg Itotoh.
Chiroma described the retreat as part of the Comptroller-General of Customs’ ongoing reforms to prepare newly promoted officers for higher responsibilities in line with global Customs standards.
He charged the officers to be deliberate in leadership and uphold the values of discipline, accountability, and innovation, stressing that their performance would define the image of the Service in the public space.
“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,” Chiroma said.
He noted that comptrollers must demonstrate professionalism and teamwork in translating the vision of the Comptroller-General, Adewale Adeniyi, into measurable achievements that will impact trade facilitation and border security.
In his closing remarks, Itotoh commended the participants for their commitment throughout the retreat, describing their promotion as both a reward for hard work and a call to greater responsibility.
He said the new rank places them in the frontlines of customs leadership, where integrity, professionalism, and accountability must guide every action.
“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. Every decision you take in your command will reflect not just on you but on the Service as a whole,” he said.
DCG Itotoh further reminded the participants that promotion comes with higher expectations, urging them to leverage the training to improve efficiency and mentor their subordinates.
He added that their loyalty to the institution should translate into impactful service delivery, enhanced stakeholder trust, and sustained revenue performance.
In his lecture titled ‘Stakeholder management, media community, and employee relationship’, the NCS’s imagemaker, Abdullahi Maiwada, explained the importance of effective communication in achieving organisational goals.
He advised the gathering to shun listening to gossip and inculcate the habit of befriending all productive staff and stakeholders.
“PR is not just about information dissemination; it is about relationship building, maintaining credibility, and ensuring that every Customs officer becomes an ambassador of the Service’s integrity,” said Maiwada.
He further emphasised that transparent communication and positive engagement with the business community remain essential to the success of the Comptroller-General’s reforms.
Earlier, media reported that the NCS Board, at its 63rd regular meeting, approved the promotion of several officers to the rank of comptrollers, a significant leadership position that involves overseeing various commands or formations (regional or functional units within the Customs structure).
In a statement, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, congratulated the newly appointed and promoted officers, urging them to live up to the trust placed in them.
“The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR, on behalf of the NCSB, congratulates all newly appointed and promoted officers while charging them to justify the confidence reposed in them. He also reaffirmed the Service’s commitment to innovation, inclusivity, transparency, and excellence in service delivery, while appreciating the Honourable Minister of Finance for his continued support and guidance,” the statement read.
The retreat was also served as an orientation for the new comptrollers on their expanded leadership roles and also reinforce strategic values, integrity, accountability, innovation, and teamwork. It also helps to prepare them to contribute to trade facilitation, revenue collection, border and national security, institutional image and stakeholder trust.
