By Chioma Obinagwam
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) inaugurated Junior Course 23 on September 25, 2025, at the Nigeria Customs Command and Staff College in Gwagwalada, aiming to enhance capacity, instill discipline, and prepare officers for elevated roles within the Service.
Confiance News reports from a post on the official X handle of NCS on Monday.
Representing Comptroller-General of Customs Adewale Adeniyi, Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs Suleiman Chiroma, Commander of the Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), described the college as a hub of discipline and excellence. He emphasized the rigorous selection process for participants, noting, “no participant has ever had to repeat the course.” He added that their names would be etched in the Service’s history for exemplary performance.
Chiroma stressed that passing through the college is now a prerequisite for promotion, urging officers to embrace personal growth. “You should not only pass through the college but also allow the college to pass through you. Take the course so seriously to make the Service proud,” he said. He assured participants of adequate welfare provisions, commending Comptroller-General Adeniyi for his commitment to officers’ well-being.
Highlighting the course’s value, Chiroma stated, “The course is packed with skills. With your mind open, you will see things transparently. You will learn how to innovate and create new ideas. You belong to the middle cadre management level of the Service, and as such, you are the implementers of policies.” He credited the critical thinking of the Comptroller-General, his team, and past students for driving programs like Advance Ruling, Time Release Study, and Authorised Economic Operators, which have advanced trade facilitation.
Chiroma encouraged participants to adopt discipline and mutual respect, assuring them they would emerge as improved individuals by the course’s end.
In her address, Assistant Comptroller-General Oluyomi Adebakin, Commandant of the Nigeria Customs Command and Staff College, described the institution as a breeding ground for potential champions. Acknowledging the emotional challenges some students might face, she urged resilience, citing Thomas Edison’s perseverance. “Even in the Service, you may encounter challenges such as being stuck in a particular rank for years, but you must not be discouraged. The failures I experienced in the early stage of my life shaped me into the better version of who I am today,” she said.
Adebakin encouraged students to seize the opportunity for personal and professional growth during the three-month program. She assured them that the Directing Staff would guide them through a robust curriculum, sharpening their reasoning and enabling rapid, effective responses to challenges.
Confiance News learnt that the launch of Junior Course 23 underscores the NCS’s commitment to building a skilled, disciplined, and innovative workforce to drive its mission forward.
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