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Customs Boss Meets With Nigeria Olympic Committee President, Pledges Collaboration
By Ruth Akata
The Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Bashir Adeniyi, had on Monday, 27 May 2024, received in audience the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) led by Habu Gumel at the service’s Headquarters in Abuja.
According to Gumel, the meeting with the CGC aimed at portraying opportunities and scholarships for young athletes to showcase their skills and talents.
The CGC, while addressing the delegation from the Nigeria Olympic Committee, recognises the importance and worth of the committee and its role in promoting the Olympic spirit both nationally and internationally. He further acknowledged their contributions to fostering a collaborative and supportive sports community.
Customs Boss emphasised Nigeria Customs Service as an organisation that takes sports very seriously because of the values it instils, particularly self-discipline, saying, “Sports can serve as a powerful tool for promoting discipline and teamwork, essential qualities for success in any organisation, especially in the paramilitary”.
He added that fitness is paramount, not only in sports but also in paramilitary organisations like the NCS. “Being physically fit enhances performance, resilience, and overall health, which are all crucial for carrying out duties effectively. It is not difficult for service members to identify as members of the sports fraternity in different forms”.
“As a responsive organisation, we believe that sports management is about talent management, identifying talents, nurturing them, giving them the right exposure because they do not only represent and win but also bring values to the community that produces them”, he added.
Speaking earlier, the NOC President, Habu Gumel, expressed his gratitude, counted it a great privilege to be part of the delegation and applauded the NCS’s commitment to supporting and collaborating with the international Olympic community to ensure that talents are identified in Nigeria, qualified persons are being prepared, trained and pushed on the global grounds.
The NOC boss said, “The National Olympic Committee for Nigeria is responsible for coordinating and supporting Nigerian competitors in the Olympic Games. It is also the body responsible for Nigeria’s representation at the Commonwealth Games.”