The Acting Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, weekend decried the working of customs officers in the country.
“Our operatives work under conditions that do not promote health,” Adeniyi said weekend when he led officers and men of the service and representatives of military and paramilitary organisations on a brisk walk as part of effort to keep his men in a state of sound physical and mental fitness.
Tagged “Work-Life Balance: Balancing for a Better Tomorrow”, the walk commenced in the early hours of Saturday from the Customs headquarters in Wuse Zone and terminated at the newly built Customs House in Maitama Area, Abuja.
Adeniyi said the brisk walk is a strategic approach to enhance the agility of the officers and men of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).
“Those working in big cities are forced to acquire life where their commitment is overwhelmingly skewed in favour of work at the expense of their well-being. The implication of this preponderance is shown in the many reported medical conditions among our workforce. We are witnessing an increase in the reported cases of avoidable disease like low blood sugar, high blood sugar, blood pressure, weight control and obesity,” Adeniyi said.
Apart from brisk walk, he also encouraged officers to engage in other forms of exercise like sports, mountain climbing, dancing and all other recreational activities.
“The benefits are profound. It promotes physical and mental wellbeing and ensuring that we live healthy and resilient in the face of life challenges. Balancing work and life helps to reduce stress level, allowing us to approach our task with a clearer mind and greater focus. It helps to enhance our productivity at work, enabling us to accomplish more. It also strengthens our relationship with family and friends. Work-life balance provides the opportunity for personal growth, enabling us to pursue all these interests and education,” the Customs boss said.
He also disclosed that over the last 16 years, the service has established 32 clinics and medical centres all over the country to take care of the officers and men of the service.
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