The Nigerian Customs Service, weekend decried the despicable environments its personnel across commands carried out their daily duties, lamenting that such do not promote good health.
This was even as it said it was witnessing an increase in the reported cases of avoidable diseases.
The Acting Comptroller-General, Nigerian Customs Service, Bashir Adeniyi, gave the hint while flagging-off a 5km work-life balance initiative in Abuja.
Adeniyi, said that Customs personnel come under pressure to fulfill various obligations, often mentally demanding, and physically exhausting.
To this end, he said Customs has established 32 clinics and medical centres across the country to cater to the health needs of its personnel.
Adeniyi, while speaking shortly after the 5km walk from its Wuse Zone 3 office to the newly inaugurated Maitama corporate headquarters, said: “Our officers all over the country work in environments that do not promote good health. Those living in big cities are forced to acquire lifestyles where their commitment is overwhelmingly skewed in favour of work and at the expense of their well-being.”
He noted that the implication of this imbalance was shown in the preponderance of many reported cases of medical conditions among the workforce.
According to him, We are witnessing an increase in the reported cases of avoidable diseases like low blood sugar, high pressure, weight control and obesity. As a tradition, we subject all officers that participated in the training through a test at the beginning, middle and end of the month programme. There was a need for deliberate effort to improve the health condition of our officers through their lifestyle.
Adeniyi added that decision was reached after an analysis of recent data by officers who reported for a five-month training at the Service’s Command and Staff College in Gwagwalada, Abuja.
He explained that over the period of their training, it was discovered that over 50 per cent of the officers return to the college with conditions of high blood pressure, 60 per cent of them with diabetics, 40 per cent with obesity, and other weight-related programmes.
Adeniyi stressed that by the end of their training when they go through these lifestyle changes and exercises to improve their health, they recorded a positive improvement to the tune of over 50 per cent in all our courses.
“While this has proven to be effective, a more sustainable approach lies in our effort to promote a healthy work-life balance among our officers,” he said.
