By Godwin Oritse & Providence Ayanfeoluwa

Trainers and instructors of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, have been urged to work together and share knowledge to achieve the desired results in the training and development of officers.

Speaking at a workshop organised for trainers and instructors of the Service, Assistant Comptroller General (ACG) in charge of Human Resources Development (HRD), Frank Onyeka, said working in silos would undermine the objectives of the Service, stressing the need for teamwork and collaboration.

Onyeka who represented the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, said, “If you don’t work like a team, you will not get desired results. Working in silos will not give us what we want, but if you come together as a team, it is a natural answer. United we stand, divided we fall.
He added that nobody had a monopoly of knowledge, urging the trainers to share their experience and expertise for the benefit of the Service and society.
He explained that the decision to bring resource persons, trainers and drill instructors under one roof was aimed at improving efficiency and eliminating the delays associated with training the different groups separately.
According to him, the approach was part of the innovative initiatives introduced under the leadership of the CGC, noting that it would enable participants to work towards a common purpose and deliver better outcomes.
On the expected conduct of new recruits, Onyeka urged them to remain calm, patient and disciplined throughout their training.
“They should be calm, they should be gentle, they should have perseverance, and they should exhibit a very high level of discipline,” he said. He stressed that discipline remained essential to producing officers capable of meeting the responsibilities of the Service.
Earlier in his remark, Retreat Coordinator and DCG Itodo, rtd, encouraged the trainers to put in their best and see the workshop as a sacrifice that everyone must make.
He pointed out that the training has been compressed into 19 subjects with ancillary information to run the 2026 program
Itodo charged the trainers to be free to discuss anything without holding back.
In her opening, the Commandant of the Customs Training College, Ikeja, Deputy Comptroller P.O Itah, said they should approach the workshop with an open mind so as to refresh their memory.