The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, has stressed the need for improved sporting infrastructure across Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) formations, particularly training facilities, noting that the Service has made significant contributions to sports development in Nigeria.
Adeniyi made the call on Saturday at the closing ceremony of the NCS Zone ‘A’ Inter-Command Games held at the Customs Training College, Ikeja, Lagos.
The two-week competition, which ran from August 17 to September 5, brought together 16 teams from Customs commands across Zone ‘A’ to compete in football, chess, badminton and table tennis under the theme, “Fit to Serve, United to Lead.”
The Customs Police Unit emerged champions of the football competition after defeating the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Command 1–0 in a keenly contested final.
Speaking at the ceremony, Adeniyi commended the Zone ‘A’ leadership and the organising committee for the quality and colourful presentation of the games, describing the event as a demonstration of the three pillars of his administration — consolidation, collaboration and innovation.
He particularly noted the participation of sister agencies, including the Nigeria Immigration Service and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), saying their involvement reflected the collaborative relationship among agencies responsible for national security.
Adeniyi called for the revival and expansion of the competition beyond the zonal level, recalling that the NCS had previously organised inter-zonal competitions in Kano, Port Harcourt and Makurdi.
He said the initiative would promote unity, healthy rivalry and stronger relationships among officers across the Service.
The Comptroller-General also expressed concern over the state of sporting infrastructure in Customs formations, particularly the training facilities, noting that the facilities at the Customs Training College had remained largely unchanged since he trained there more than 30 years ago.
According to him, improved sporting infrastructure is necessary to enable officers to develop and showcase their talents, particularly as the NCS currently has teams and athletes excelling in volleyball, basketball, football, beach volleyball and athletics.
Adeniyi disclosed that the proposed new Customs Training College in Iperu, Ogun State, would include modern sporting facilities adding that temporary facilities could also be provided at the existing college to cater for recruits undergoing training.
He further disclosed that the Service was constructing an ultra-modern sports facility at one of its barracks in Kano.
Beyond the medals and trophies, Adeniyi urged officers to embrace the values of discipline, teamwork and strategy cultivated through sporting competitions, stressing that the same qualities were essential to effective Customs operations.
“The virtues of discipline, teamwork and strategy are very important takeaways from a competition like this,” he said.
He explained that discipline was essential in patrol and enforcement operations, teamwork necessary for effective collaboration, while strategic thinking was critical to achieving the Service’s revenue-generation objectives.
Earlier, the Zonal Coordinator, Zone ‘A’, Assistant Comptroller-General Mohammed Babandede, thanked Adeniyi for approving and supporting the games, saying the competition would not have been possible without his backing.
Babandede also commended the organising committee and participating commands for their efforts in bringing the various formations together.
He urged officers not to measure their participation solely by medals and trophies, stressing that everyone who took part in the competition was a winner.
He encouraged participants to use the experience to improve themselves, strive for excellence and return stronger in future competitions.
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