By George Ozalla
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Medical Unit on Monday commenced its 7th Annual Medical Corps Retreat in Katsina State with a renewed commitment to strengthening healthcare delivery and improving the welfare of officers across the Service.
The five-day retreat, themed “Operational Wellbeing: Protecting Health to Protect Borders,” brought together medical personnel, healthcare experts, senior Customs officers, and stakeholders from across the country for professional engagement, policy review, strategic planning, and knowledge sharing.
Speaking during the opening ceremony, the Comptroller General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, represented by the Deputy Comptroller General (DCG) in charge of Human Resource Development, Tijjani Abe, reaffirmed the Service’s commitment to strengthening healthcare services and staff welfare within the NCS.
According to him, the retreat remains an important platform for professional interaction, exchange of ideas, and strategic planning aimed at improving medical services across Customs formations nationwide.
He further stated that a healthy workforce remains critical to operational efficiency, productivity, and institutional effectiveness, stressing that the Service would continue to support initiatives that enhance the welfare, capacity, and working conditions of medical personnel.
The CGC also appreciated the Government and people of Katsina State for hosting the event and encouraged participants to build stronger professional relationships and share valuable experiences capable of strengthening healthcare delivery within the Service.
In his welcome address, the Head of the Customs Medical Unit, Comptroller of Customs (CC) Ethelbert Nnaji, commended the leadership of the Service, particularly the CGC and the DCG Human Resource Development, for their sustained support toward improving the Customs healthcare system.
He explained that the annual retreat provides an avenue to review the performance of the Customs Medical Corps and develop recommendations that would guide management in advancing healthcare services within the Service.
CC Nnaji further disclosed that the choice of Katsina State as the venue for the retreat was informed by the extensive Customs operations within the state and the need to strengthen relationships with host communities for more effective service delivery.
He further revealed that the Service would conduct a free medical outreach in Daura as part of activities lined up for the retreat under its corporate social responsibility initiative.
According to him, the Service intends to explore orthodox practices and technological innovations capable of bringing quality healthcare closer to officers wherever they operate across the country.
Declaring the retreat open, Governor Umar Dikko Radda, represented by the State Commissioner for Health, Musa Adamu Funtua, commended the NCS for prioritising the health and welfare of its personnel.
He praised the leadership of the CGC for promoting people-centred policies that continue to strengthen institutional care and operational effectiveness within the Service.
The Governor’s representative further stressed that a healthy workforce remains essential to effective service delivery and the attainment of organisational goals and objectives.
He also appreciated the cordial relationship between the NCS and the people of Katsina State while acknowledging the contributions of facilitators and resource persons from Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital and other institutions participating in the retreat.
Delivering the vote of thanks, the Zonal Coordinator, Zone “B”, Nsikan Umoh, expressed appreciation to the Katsina State Government, the leadership of the NCS, participants, and stakeholders for their support toward the successful hosting of the retreat.
Earlier, health experts from different parts of the country delivered paper presentations aimed at equipping participants with modern professional knowledge and innovative ideas to improve service delivery within the Customs Medical Corps.
Customs Area Controllers (CACs) from commands under Zone “B”, senior officers of the Service, medical professionals, and other stakeholders attended the opening ceremony.
The retreat is expected to conclude with a large-scale free medical outreach in Daura as well as visits to selected health facilities for benchmarking and assessment purposes.
