The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has taken another decisive step in strengthening its leadership pipeline with the graduation of 100 middle cadre officers from the Nigeria Customs Command and Staff College (NCCSC), Gwagwalada.
The colourful ceremony, held on Friday, December 12, 2025, marked the completion of Senior Course 13 and Junior Course 23, and drew top management of the Service, senior officers, instructors and invited guests from within and outside the customs community.
The graduation underscored the NCS’s unwavering commitment to continuous professional development as a critical tool for improving operational efficiency, strategic thinking and service delivery across its Commands nationwide.
Representing the Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, the Deputy Comptroller-General (DCG) in charge of Finance, Administration and Technical Services, Kikelomo Adeola, congratulated the officers for successfully completing what she described as a rigorous and transformative training programme.
Adeola said capacity building remained a central pillar of the Service’s modernisation agenda, noting that the officers trained at the College were expected to become drivers of change in their respective Commands and units.
She urged the graduates to translate the leadership skills, technical knowledge and ethical values acquired during the courses into tangible improvements in revenue collection, border security and trade facilitation.
The DCG further charged the officers to uphold the highest standards of professionalism, discipline and integrity, reminding them that their conduct would shape the attitudes and performance of younger officers across the Service.
“As you return to your various duty posts, you must lead by example, knowing that many will look up to you as role models worthy of emulation,” she told the graduates.
Earlier in his address, the Commandant of the College, Assistant Comptroller-General (ACG) Dow Gaura, described the successful completion of Senior Course 13 and Junior Course 23 as a testament to the resilience, discipline and intellectual rigour of the participants.
Gaura explained that the College plays a strategic role in professionalising the Nigeria Customs Service through a structured curriculum designed to prepare officers for higher responsibilities in an increasingly complex operational environment.
According to him, the training integrates customs law, leadership development, operations management and strategic studies, while aligning closely with international best practices in customs administration.
Speaking on behalf of the graduates, the Course Senior of Senior Course 13, Assistant Comptroller of Customs Umar Garba, described the programme as a defining moment in their careers.
Garba said the training broadened their perspectives on leadership, deepened their understanding of customs procedures and enhanced their appreciation of inter-agency collaboration and national security imperatives.
He expressed gratitude to the Comptroller-General of Customs and the College management for investing in the professional growth of officers and equipping them for greater responsibilities.
The ceremony featured a guard of honour for the Special Guest of Honour, presentation of certificates and awards to outstanding officers, and other colourful military-style traditions.
Adding to the sense of camaraderie and tradition, a regimental dinner night was held on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, to celebrate officers who successfully completed the rigorous three-month and six-month training programmes for the Junior and Senior Courses respectively.
