The Apapa Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has commenced a comprehensive basic first aid training programme for its officers and men to improve their well-being and work output.
Speaking on the development, the Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Emmanuel Oshoba, described the initiative as a crucial investment in workplace safety and operational readiness.
Comptroller Oshoba, who welcomed the Service’s medical team to the Command, emphasised that the programme reflects the priority placed on staff welfare by the Comptroller-General of Customs, CGC Bashir Adewale Adeniyi.
According to him, the first aid knowledge is a universal life skill that every adult should possess, especially officers who are frequently exposed to high-risk operational environments.
Oshoba noted that simple but timely interventions such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), bleeding control, choking relief and stroke recognition often determine whether a victim survives, fully recovers, or suffers preventable long-term damage.
He warned that the absence of first aid capability during emergencies could lead to avoidable tragedies.
The CAC stated that customs personnel sometimes operate in locations where doctors, nurses and paramedics are not immediately available, making it essential for officers to serve as first responders.
“The person standing next to you could be your emergency nurse or paramedic before a doctor is reached,” he said.
Comptroller Oshoba highlighted first aid’s role in reducing injury severity, controlling bleeding, relieving pain and stabilising victims who may be close to losing consciousness.
He acknowledged that some officers are familiar with first aid procedures, urging them to treat the programme as a vital refresher training programme.
Oshoba also encouraged first-timers to fully engage with both the theoretical and practical sessions, stressing that hands-on application is key to mastering emergency response skills.
He further expressed confidence that the participants would gain valuable competencies, describing the training as “time well spent” for the Command and the Service at large.
In his remarks, the Medical Team Lead and Zonal Medical Officer for Zone B, Comptroller A.S Aku, guided the officers through hands-on sessions where every participant had the opportunity to demonstrate and practice CPR and techniques to assist someone who is choking.
“The truth is that when there is an emergency, you are a first responder. What you do in the first few minutes before help comes is very crucial. We are here to practice the basic skills that could save lives.
“At the end of the exercise, we should understand the four goals of first aid and identify the different types of first aid, and when to administer them. We should also know about those techniques that we need. We have been encountering a lot of conditions whereby our bodies, our families, our friends require some form of assistance from us as a first responder. But most times, we panic,” Comptroller Aku remarked.
The medical training included how to do CPR, dealing with bleeding, gunshot incidents, bone and joint injuries, among others.
One of the highpoints of the meeting was the presentation of the Customs Medical Corps First Aid Manual by the Zonal Medical Officer, Zone B Customs Headquarters to Comptroller Oshoba.
