The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has strengthened its professional leadership capacity with the graduation of 50 officers who successfully completed the three-month Junior Course 25 at the Nigeria Customs Command and Staff College (NCCSC), Gwagwalada, Abuja.
The graduation ceremony, held on Friday, August 28, 2026, marked the culmination of an intensive training programme aimed at enhancing the leadership competence, professional judgment and operational effectiveness of officers of the Service.
Speaking as the Special Guest of Honour, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, charged the graduates to deploy the knowledge and skills acquired during the course in advancing the Service and protecting the national interest.
Adeniyi emphasised that effective leadership in modern Customs administration requires more than the authority associated with rank, urging the officers to uphold integrity, fairness, courage and accountability in their assignments.
“Leadership is not defined solely by the rank that you wear, but is demonstrated through competence, fairness, courage and the responsibility you take,” he told the graduates.
He further stressed that Customs administration had evolved beyond routine revenue collection, requiring officers to exercise sound judgment and professional competence while responding to the increasingly complex operational environment.
The CGC encouraged the graduates to make integrity and national interest central to their decisions, particularly in the discharge of responsibilities involving trade facilitation, border management, enforcement and national security.
The Commandant of the College, Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs Dow Gaura, commended the officers for their dedication throughout the training.
Gaura also highlighted efforts to strengthen the institution’s training capacity through the introduction of digital learning tools and strategic partnerships, including collaboration with the Nigerian Army.
Certificates were presented to the 50 graduating officers, while the three best-performing participants received special awards from the Comptroller-General in recognition of their outstanding performance.
The graduation activities had commenced on Wednesday, August 26, with a regimental dinner where Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs Suleiman Chiroma, representing the CGC, urged the officers to demonstrate vigilance and decisive leadership when deployed to their various commands.
The graduation of Junior Course 25 further reflects the NCS’s focus on continuous professional development as a means of building a more competent, accountable and operationally effective workforce capable of responding to the demands of contemporary Customs administration.
