Oshoba Urges Newly Promoted Customs Officers to Embrace Innovation, Integrity, and Continuous Learning
The Customs Area Controller (CAC) of the Apapa Command, Comptroller Emmanuel Oshoba, has charged newly promoted Deputy and Assistant Comptrollers of Customs to uphold innovation, integrity, and continuous learning as they take on greater responsibilities within the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).
Speaking on Wednesday at the opening session of a special training organised for the newly elevated officers, Comptroller Oshoba congratulated the participants on their promotions, describing them as both “a reward for hard work and a call to greater service.”
He noted that the new ranks come with heightened expectations from the Service and the nation at large, urging the officers to remain disciplined, committed, and aligned with the modernisation agenda 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 CAC observed that Customs operations have become increasingly knowledge-driven, with modernisation tools such as the Advance Ruling System, Time Release Study, Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) programme, and the One Stop Shop mechanism redefining trade facilitation in Nigeria.
He urged the newly promoted officers to acquaint themselves with these tools and deploy them effectively to enhance operational efficiency, compliance, and risk management.
“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.”
Comptroller Oshoba encouraged the officers to take full advantage of the training to broaden their professional capacity, exchange ideas, and build networks that foster teamwork and leadership across commands.
“As new leaders, some of you will be entrusted with sensitive duties, including custodianship of release passwords and supervision of junior officers,” he noted. “You must uphold the tenets of Justice and Honesty, which are core values of the Service.”
He reaffirmed that capacity building remains a top priority under the current Customs leadership, stressing that continuous training and retraining are key components of the Service’s long-term strategy for institutional excellence.
“To the glory of God and for the benefit of participants and facilitators, I hereby declare this course open,” he concluded.
The training session, held at the Apapa Area Command headquarters, was designed to equip the newly promoted Deputy and Assistant Comptrollers with advanced knowledge and leadership skills essential for driving the Nigeria Customs Service’s modernisation and effective trade facilitation agenda.
