Customs Launches Leadership Training for 100 Officers

By Zainab Uzomah

The Nigeria Customs Service has inaugurated 100 officers for new leadership and command courses at its Command and Staff College in Gwagwalada, as part of efforts to strengthen strategic capacity within the Service.

In a statement delivered on behalf of Comptroller-General of Customs Adewale Adeniyi, the Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), Sulaiman Chiroma, said the programme marked a major step in the Service’s shift from operational competence to strategic leadership development.

The newly opened Senior Course 14 and Junior Course 24 will run for six and three months respectively.

DCG Chiroma told participants that the management had continued to invest significantly in the Command and Staff College, saying the impact of such training would soon become evident in officers’ career progression and in the overall performance of the Service. He hinted that command courses would increasingly become mandatory for promotion, describing nomination for the training as both “a privilege and a responsibility”.

He urged officers to uphold integrity and professionalism, adding that modern Customs administration required leaders who were “operationally competent and strategically grounded”. The College, he said, remained central to preparing middle-level managers for an evolving economic and security landscape, particularly as the Service prepares to function under a new national revenue framework.

The Commandant of the College, Assistant Comptroller-General Dow Gaura, said the institution continued to play a key role in developing leadership, policy analysis, communication and inter-agency cooperation skills. He noted that these competencies were crucial for addressing emerging national and global challenges.

ACG Gaura called on the participants to maintain discipline, academic honesty and commitment to their studies, warning that the College had zero tolerance for academic misconduct. He assured them of full support from instructors and encouraged engagement in sports to promote physical and mental fitness.

The Commandant of the College, Assistant Comptroller-General Dow Gaura, said the institution continued to play a key role in developing leadership, policy analysis, communication and inter-agency cooperation skills. He noted that these competencies were crucial for addressing emerging national and global challenges.

ACG Gaura called on the participants to maintain discipline, academic honesty and commitment to their studies, warning that the College had zero tolerance for academic misconduct. He assured them of full support from instructors and encouraged engagement in sports to promote physical and mental fitness.