Comptroller Oshoba Urges Newly Promoted Customs Officers to Embrace Innovation and Integrity

Comptroller Oshoba Urges Newly Promoted Customs Officers to Embrace Innovation and Integrity

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 demonstrate innovation, integrity, and a commitment to continuous learning as they take on higher responsibilities.

Speaking at the opening session of a special training programme organized for the newly elevated officers on Wednesday, Comptroller Oshoba congratulated them on their promotions, describing the achievement as both “a reward for hard work and a call to greater service.”

He emphasized that the new ranks come with higher expectations from the Service and the nation, urging the officers to align their conduct with the modernization vision of the Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR.

“These elevations come with benefits, challenges, and responsibilities,” Oshoba said. “The management of the NCS demands more commitment, innovative thinking, and unwavering dedication to excellence in carrying out the CGC’s reform agenda.”

Highlighting the Service’s ongoing transformation drive, the Apapa Customs boss noted that operations have become increasingly knowledge-driven, with modernization initiatives such as the Advance Ruling System, Time Release Study, Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) programme, and the One Stop Shop mechanism redefining trade facilitation in Nigeria.

He tasked the newly promoted officers to familiarize themselves with these systems and deploy them effectively to enhance efficiency, compliance, and risk management across operations.

“There are cases of non-compliance, either from ignorance or deliberate circumvention of procedures,” he warned. “This calls for greater alertness and the smart use of technology for risk assessment.”

Oshoba also encouraged participants to leverage the training to enhance their professional competence, interact, exchange ideas, and build stronger networks that promote teamwork and leadership capacity across commands.

“As new leaders, some of you will be entrusted with sensitive responsibilities, including custodianship of release passwords and supervision of junior officers,” he said. “You must uphold the tenets of justice and honesty, which are core values of the Service.”

He reaffirmed that capacity building remains a key priority for the Service under the present leadership, with continuous training and retraining forming a core part of its long-term strategy for institutional excellence.

Declaring the training open, Comptroller Oshoba expressed optimism that the programme would further equip the officers with the knowledge and leadership skills needed to drive Customs modernization and strengthen trade facilitation.

The training session, held at the Apapa Area Command headquarters, forms part of the Service’s broader initiative to prepare newly promoted officers for greater professional and ethical responsibilities.

— SC JT Ayagbalo
Public Relations Officer, Apapa Area Command