Customs trains 100 Deputy Comptrollers for top leadership roles
Maureen Aguta
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intensified its leadership succession strategy with the commencement of a Strategic Refresher Course for 100 Deputy Comptrollers, aimed at preparing senior officers for higher command responsibilities and sustaining the Service’s ongoing institutional reforms.
The high-level capacity-building programme, organised by the Human Resources Development Department in collaboration with the Customs Police Unit, opened on Tuesday at the Nigeria Customs Command and Staff College, Gwagwalada, Abuja.
Declaring the workshop open on behalf of the Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, the Commandant of the College, Assistant Comptroller-General (ACG) Dow Gaura, described the participants as officers carefully identified to assume greater leadership responsibilities within the Service.
According to him, the course is designed not only to sharpen professional competence but also to instill the leadership values required to drive the Nigeria Customs Service into its next phase of transformation.
“These officers are expected to serve as role models for the next generation of Customs personnel. This training goes beyond professional competence; it focuses on discipline, succession, conduct and leadership,” Gaura said.
Delivering the keynote lecture, retired Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs Dera Nnadi challenged the participants to embrace leadership as a call to service rather than a symbol of authority.
“The rank of Deputy Comptroller does not merely confer authority; it confers service. You owe responsibility to the Service, your colleagues, your subordinates, the nation’s leadership and our stakeholders,” Nnadi stated.
He urged the officers to demonstrate integrity, accountability and exemplary conduct as they prepare to occupy strategic positions within the Service.
Also speaking, the Deputy Commandant and Director of Studies of the College, Comptroller Haniel Hadison, underscored the importance of discipline, regimentation and professionalism, stressing that senior officers must lead by personal example through their conduct, appearance and relationship with junior personnel.
Earlier, the Acting Customs Provost Marshal, Deputy Comptroller Sanusi Saulawa, said the refresher programme reflects the Comptroller-General’s unwavering commitment to continuous professional development and institutional excellence.
He noted that the course is specifically designed to equip Deputy Comptrollers with the knowledge, leadership capacity and ethical orientation required to effectively manage personnel and deliver on the Service’s evolving mandate.
Some participants described the programme as timely and highly impactful, commending Adeniyi for prioritising leadership development.
They pledged to apply the lessons from the course to strengthen discipline, enhance operational efficiency and uphold the values and reputation of the Nigeria Customs Service as they take on higher responsibilities across the country.