The Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi has hinted plans for the Nigeria Customs to establish a Polo Team that will participate in championships.
Adeniyi disclosed this during a Polo Tournament between Customs Players and the Nigeria Army, along with the unveiling of the Nigeria Customs Service’s Polo Shirt at the Nigeria Army Polo Resort in Abuja.
The board member of Nigeria Wrestling Federation stated that he will continually support and encourage Officers and Men of the Service who show interest in sports activities as part of his efforts to maintain Customs’ dominance in the sports circle.
He said, “We will consider officers who have expressed interest in the Polo game here to be the nucleus of our team and give similar encouragement to other Officers to engage in the game.
“I am quite impressed with what I have seen, and this will mark the beginning of the resurgence of Polo Games development in Customs.”
Regarding the outstanding performance of the NCS Players during the tournament, Adeniyi urged Officers and Men of the Service to maintain their fitness and watch their health, as it will translate to the performance of the Service in the areas of revenue generation, facilitating trade, and suppressing smuggling.
Also, the Chairman of the Nigerian Army Polo Association (NAPA), Major-General Garba Laka, said the main idea behind organizing the tournament was to celebrate Army Remembrance Day and to honour CGC Adewale Adeniyi.
“We are organizing the game to remember our fallen heroes, those who spent their lives in the cause of defending our country. Additionally, we organized this match to celebrate our Armed Forces and appreciate the sacrifice that they have made,” Major General Laka said.
He urged other security agencies to follow suit and imbibe the culture of engaging their staff in Polo activities, as the Nigeria Customs Service does.
Major-General Laka, who recalled how Polo game was first introduced to Nigeria by Colonial Masters in the 60s, expressed happiness that the Nigeria Customs Service has now considered establishing its own club.
