The Customs Area Controller of Apapa Command, Comptroller Emmanuel Oshoba, has charged newly promoted Deputy and Assistant Comptrollers of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to embrace innovation, integrity, and continuous learning as they assume higher responsibilities in the Service.
Speaking at the opening session of a special training programme for the newly elevated officers held on Wednesday at the Apapa Area Command headquarters, Oshoba described their promotions as both “a reward for hard work and a call to greater service.”
He noted that the new ranks come with increased expectations from the Service and the nation, urging the officers to demonstrate discipline, excellence, and dedication to the modernization vision of the Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR.
“These elevations come with benefits, challenges, and responsibilities. The management of the NCS demands more commitment, innovative thinking, and an unwavering dedication to excellence in carrying out the CGC’s reform agenda,” he said.
Highlighting the Service’s ongoing transformation initiatives, the Apapa CAC said Customs operations have become more knowledge-driven, citing modernization tools such as the Advance Ruling System, Time Release Study, Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) programme, and the One Stop Shop mechanism, which are redefining trade facilitation across the country.
Oshoba urged the newly promoted officers to master these innovations and deploy them to enhance efficiency, compliance, and risk management in their various commands.
“There are cases of non-compliance, either from ignorance or deliberate circumvention of procedures. This calls for greater alertness and the smart use of technology for risk assessment,” he warned.
He encouraged participants to maximize the training opportunity by engaging in idea exchange and networking to strengthen teamwork and leadership capacity within the Service.
“As new leaders, some of you will be entrusted with sensitive duties, including custodianship of release passwords and supervision of junior officers. You must uphold the tenets of Justice and Honesty, which are core values of the Service,” he stated.
The Customs chief reaffirmed that capacity building remains a key priority under the current leadership, with continuous training forming part of the Service’s long-term strategy for institutional excellence.
Oshoba later declared the training programme open, noted that it was designed to equip the newly promoted officers with advanced knowledge and leadership skills essential for driving Customs modernization and trade facilitation.
SC JT Ayagbalo, Public Relations Officer of the Apapa Area Command, confirmed that the training is part of ongoing efforts to prepare officers for higher responsibilities in line with the NCS’s reform objectives.
