By Victoria Attah, Correspondent
Officers of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Public Relations Unit have delivered a striking performance at the Command and Staff College, Gwagwalada, dominating the Senior Course 14 graduation list as Chief Superintendent of Customs Ridwan Yusuf emerged Overall Best Graduating Student and his colleague, Nuruddeen Sa’idu, clinched second place.
The development came as 50 senior officers graduated on Friday from the intensive leadership programme designed to prepare participants for higher command, strategic management and policy execution within the Service.
Yusuf not only topped the overall list but also secured three additional academic awards, further reinforcing the PR Unit’s strong showing in one of the Service’s most competitive professional courses.
Sa’idu’s second-place finish consolidated the unit’s dominance in the graduation honours, placing PR officers at the forefront of the course performance rankings.
The Nigeria Customs Service Command and Staff College, Gwagwalada, serves as a key institution for grooming senior officers for leadership roles across operational and administrative structures of the Service.
Reacting to the outcome, the National Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Customs Service, Deputy Comptroller Abdullahi Aliyu Maiwada, described the performance as evidence of the intellectual depth within the PR cadre.
He said the achievement reflects the evolving role of public relations officers in the Service, extending beyond communication duties to strategic leadership and administrative competence.
“They didn’t just pass; they conquered one of the Service’s most demanding professional training programmes,” Maiwada said, adding that the result demonstrates “top-tier administrative competence and strategic leadership.”
He also commended Assistant Comptroller Benjamin Lomba for his strong performance in Senior Course 13, which earned him an appointment as a Directing Staff at the College.
Maiwada further disclosed that the top-performing officers from the PR Unit may be retained to support training and mentorship of future senior officers at the institution.
The graduation highlights ongoing efforts by the Nigeria Customs Service to strengthen leadership capacity and improve institutional performance through structured professional development.
