By Femi Anamelechi
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has f began it’s one-week sports championship designed to promote grassroots sports development, strengthen community engagement, and foster closer collaboration between the Service and public and private secondary schools.The championship, organised in partnership with the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Ajeromi-Ifelodun Chapter, commenced on Monday, 27 July 2026, at the Wale Adeniyi Sports Arena, Western Marine Command, Ibafon, Apapa, Lagos.Speaking during the opening competition , the Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, represented by the Zonal Coordinator, Zone ‘A’, Assistant Comptroller-General (ACG), Mohammed Babandede, said the tournament would feature 13 secondary schools competing in football, basketball, volleyball, chess, table tennis, and Scrabble over the next seven days.”We are investing in this generation, discovering talents and reinforcing discipline through team work and healthy competition. Equally, emphasis is on work-life balance as we prioritise the well-being of our officers and understand that healthy body support a sharp mind,” he said.
In his remarks, the Area Controller of the Western Marine Command, Comptroller Patrick Ntadi, described the championship as the beginning of a mutually beneficial partnership between the Nigeria Customs Service and NAPPS. “We are watching every participant closely, and anyone who distinguishes themselves will receive sponsorship from the Nigeria Customs Service. The Comptroller-General has assured support for those who emerge victorious. Our aim is to produce smart sport individuals and take away our children from the streets,” Ntadi said. Dignitaries at the event commended the initiative as a strategic community engagement programme capable of strengthening the relationship between the Nigeria Customs Service and its host communities.As part of the ceremony, the Western Marine Command also commissioned an operational patrol boat named in honour of Deputy Comptroller of Customs Akpevwe Ogboru, the first female Customs officer to complete a solo cross-continental motorcycle expedition from Nigeria to Belgium and back.
