Mrs Zainab Ahmed, Minister of Finance, has charged graduates of the Customs Command and Staff College, Gwagwalada, to serve as ambassadors for the college wherever they are assigned.
Ahmed delivered the charge on Friday in Abuja at the combined graduation ceremony of officers from the college’s Senior Course 5 and Junior Course 11.
While congratulating the graduates on completing their training at the institution, the minister reminded them that the knowledge they had gained would be put to the test in a variety of ways.
“I believe your participation in the course has improved your character as well as your learning.”
“As you begin your journey as trained staff officers, you will be expected to guide, facilitate, and assist your superior officers in order for operations to run smoothly at all levels.”
“You must be aware that you are now college ambassadors, and the training you have received will be put to the test in a variety of ways,” she said.
Ahmed, who was represented by retired Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali, charged the officers with using the training they had received to help improve the service.
In his capacity as Customs Comptroller-General, Ali congratulated the college’s Commandant, Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs, ACG Adewale Adeniyi, and staff on the successful completion of the combined graduation.
He urged the graduates to put their newly acquired skills to use in order to justify the resources and time spent training them in college.
He assured the Commandant that the College Board and NCS Management would continue to assist the college in carrying out its mission.
NCS, according to Ali, will continue to invest in human capacity development through regular training, particularly in the area of technology.
He stated that the use of technology would aid in the tracking and tracing of illicit goods and movements.
Earlier in his welcome address, Adeniyi stated that the college was operating in a difficult environment, such as a lack of power, which put strain on the college power generator.
He expressed gratitude to the Comptroller-General for approving the purchase of one 1,000 KVA and one 1,500 KVA generators for the college in order to address the power supply issue.
According to Adeniyi, the NCS is also working hard to provide the college with a solar power source to ensure a consistent power supply.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), 78 officers graduated during the ceremony.
While 38 students from the Senior Course 5 received the “Pass Senior Staff Course” (PSC), 40 students from the Junior Court 11 received the “Pass Junior Staff Course” (PJSC).