The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has commended its female personnel for their resilience in carrying out their duties to advance the organisation’s constitutional mandate.
The Comptroller-General (C-G) of NCS, Bashir Adeniyi, gave the commendation while speaking at an event organised by the service to celebrate the female personnel at the NCS’s headquarters in Abuja on Friday.
The NCS’s female personnel from across the country, invited for a parade, were instead honoured for their outstanding contributions to the service.
Adeniyi said female personnel had shown consistent diligence, efficiency, and dedication, which the service was celebrating to mark International Women’s Day (IWD).
“I know that you did not come here expecting this.
“This is exactly the point, you are not supposed to see this coming, because too often recognition comes only when it is convenient, scheduled and when it fits neatly in a calendar,” he said.
He said that the month of March was set aside to celebrate women and the NCS was celebrating them with the theme ‘Customs Celebrates You’.
He described the female personnel of the service as central to its operations, serving at the frontline in ports and border stations, handling documentation for trade facilitation and contributing in the boardroom where policies were shaped.
“Today, all of us in customs want to say thank you. We celebrate you and recognise your efforts,” he said.
The C-G, who is also the Chairperson of the World Customs Organisation (WCO), said the global customs community had recognised gender inclusivity as central to any institutional structure, rather than merely a charitable consideration.
According to him, organisations that genuinely include and empower women perform better and serve their communities more effectively, with the results clearly visible in their impact.
He said the NCS was committed to an institution where a woman’s talent, dedication and ambition determined her progress.
Though the service had not yet reached that level, he said, it was working toward it through its policies, strategic deployment, career opportunities and a supportive environment for women.
According to him, the efforts, skills, and expertise of the female personnel are recognised and appreciated through the responsibilities they are given, as well as their postings and assignments.
Responding on behalf of NCS female personnel, Caroline Niagwan, the Deputy Comptroller of Customs in charge of Tariff and Trade, thanked the C-G for the recognition.
Niagwan acknowledged the visionary leadership of the C-G and his consistent championing of gender inclusion within the service, saying that his support had continued to pave pathways for female officers to lead, excel and grow.
She said the event does not only celebrate women but also reinforced the values of service, sacrifice and shared progress.
She said the female personnel all embody the spirit of Give to Gain which is the theme of the International Women’s Day.
The Customs official said the expertise and dedication to duty of the female personnel had earned them respect and had fostered leadership opportunities, all aimed at advancing the service.
The NCS official thanked their male counterparts and partners of the organisation for celebrating them, saying this demonstrated a collective commitment to building a more inclusive service.
“As we leave here today, may we continue to invest in one another, support the growth of women in the service and foster an environment where every officer will have the opportunity to contribute meaningfully in the service regardless of gender,” she said
