The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has placed its female officers firmly in the spotlight as it joins the global community to commemorate International Women’s Day (IWD) 2026, celebrating their expanding influence in national security, trade facilitation, and institutional leadership.
Marked under the theme “Give to Gain”, this year’s celebration highlights the Service’s deliberate effort in empowering women across operational and strategic roles.
Generally perceived as a male dominated agency, the Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, has fostered an inclusive and enabling environment that supports the professional growth of women while promoting work-life balance.
Under his leadership, women have assumed key strategic roles within the Service, including the Deputy Comptroller-General (DCG) in charge of Finance, Administration and Technical Services (FATS), regarded as the second in command, alongside the DCGs overseeing the Tariff & Trade and ICT/Modernisation departments. In addition, several female officers hold critical management positions at the rank of Assistant Comptroller-General (ACG), reflecting a deliberate effort toward gender balanced leadership.
Speaking on the growing impact of women in Customs, Deputy Comptroller-General (DCG), in charge of Tariff and Trade, Caroline Niagwan, emphasised their strategic value noting that female officers are playing a critical role in the Service’s modernisation drive.
“They are driving digital transformation, data-driven decision-making and stakeholder reforms that align with international best practices and Nigeria’s trade objectives under the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)", she said.
DCG in charge of Finance, Administration and Technical Services (FATS), Kikelomo Adeola, also underscored the multiplier effect of investing in women. "Someone says, educate a man, you educate an individual; educate a woman and you educate a generation. That is what the NCS is doing”, she noted.
“We are encouraging junior officers, giving them access, visibility and training, and ensuring they are mentored by senior female officers so they have clarity on career progression and professional development.”
DCG in charge of ICT/Modernisation, Oluyomi Adebakin, the first female to coordinate basic training in 2022 and first female Commandant at the Nigeria Customs Command and Staff College (NCCSC), Gwagwalada, described the Service’s gender-inclusion efforts as deliberate and measurable, urging younger officers to remain committed and collaborative.
At the Command level, Comptroller Hauwa Abubakar of the Lagos Free Trade Zone (LFTZ) Command, and Comptroller Salamatu Atuluku of Port Harcourt Area I Command highlighted mentorship and stakeholder engagement as key strategies for building capable female officers, while Deputy Comptrollers Roseline Ezeh and Comfort Baikie emphasised women’s strengths in pressure management and emotional intelligence.
The Service’s confidence in its female personnel was further demonstrated through its support for Deputy Comptroller Akpevwe Ogboru, on a remarkable 72-day bike journey from Nigeria to Belgium and back, an initiative widely seen as symbolic of the visibility and growing prominence of women in Customs.
As the Nigeria Customs Service marks International Women’s Day 2026, it recognises female officers for their invaluable support to the Service's transformation and contributions to sustainable national development.
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