The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has concluded a week-long leadership retreat for its newly promoted Comptrollers, aimed at strengthening leadership capacity, innovation, and institutional integrity across its commands and formations.
The retreat, held at the Senator Ahmed Makarfi Auditorium, Nigeria Customs Command and Staff College, Gwagwalada, began on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, and ended on Friday, October 11, 2025. It was declared open by the Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), DCG Sulaiman Chiroma, and officially closed by the Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of Human Resource Development, DCG Greg Itotoh.
In his opening address, DCG Chiroma described the retreat as part of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi’s, ongoing reform initiatives to prepare newly promoted officers for higher responsibilities in line with international Customs standards.
He charged the officers to embrace innovation, discipline, and accountability in their leadership roles, noting that their performance would directly reflect the Service’s image in the public domain.
“This retreat provides an opportunity to realign with the CGC’s three-point agenda—collaboration, consolidation, and innovation—ensuring that every officer contributes meaningfully to the modernisation drive of the Service,” Chiroma stated.
He urged the new Comptrollers to exhibit professionalism, teamwork, and strategic leadership in translating the Comptroller-General’s vision into measurable results that enhance trade facilitation, border management, and institutional efficiency.
In his closing remarks, DCG Itotoh commended the participants for their dedication throughout the programme, describing their elevation as both a reward for diligence and a call to greater responsibility.
“The Nigeria Customs Service expects much from you,” he said. “You are now managers of men and resources, and you must embody the discipline, excellence, and transparency that define the Comptroller-General’s vision. Every decision you take in your command will reflect not only on you but on the Service as a whole.”
He urged the newly promoted officers to leverage the knowledge gained from the retreat to enhance operational efficiency, mentor subordinates, and strengthen stakeholder confidence, adding that promotion must be matched with higher performance and integrity.
During the retreat, the National Public Relations Officer, Assistant Comptroller Abdullahi Maiwada, delivered a lecture titled “Stakeholder Management, Media Community, and Employee Relationship.”
Maiwada underscored the importance of effective communication in achieving organisational goals, advising the officers to avoid gossip, cultivate productive relationships, and build credibility within and outside the Service.
“Public relations is not just about disseminating information; it’s about building trust, maintaining integrity, and ensuring every officer becomes an ambassador of the Service’s values,” Maiwada said. He emphasised that transparent engagement with the business community is key to sustaining the success of ongoing reforms.
Speaking to journalists after the closing ceremony, Comptrollers Usman Yahaya, Murtala Mu’azu, and Josephine Egwakide expressed appreciation to the Comptroller-General and the management team for the confidence reposed in them.
They pledged to uphold the Service’s core values, protect its image, and ensure full implementation of the Comptroller-General’s vision for institutional excellence, stakeholder trust, and improved service delivery.
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