Nigeria Customs bags Commonwealth gold for communities through CSR
Maureen Aguta
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has earned international acclaim after its flagship Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, Customs Cares, clinched the prestigious Commonwealth Environment and Corporate Social Responsibility Gold Award in Glasgow, Scotland.
The award, presented on Friday, recognises organisations whose community-focused and sustainable interventions deliver measurable impact in advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The NCS emerged as one of the standout winners for the far-reaching impact of the Customs Cares initiative in education, healthcare, food security and environmental sustainability across Nigeria.
Receiving the award on behalf of the Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, the Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Enforcement, Investigation and Inspection, Timi Bomodi, described the recognition as a watershed moment in the Service’s ongoing transformation.
“This award is both humbling and inspiring. It affirms our belief that public institutions create their greatest value not only by fulfilling their statutory mandates, but by improving lives and strengthening the communities they serve,” Bomodi said.
Reacting to the honour, Adeniyi attributed the global recognition to the policy direction of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, noting that Customs Cares has transformed lives in communities across the country.
According to him, the initiative has reached more than 10 million Nigerians in 12 states and the Federal Capital Territory through projects including school renovations, healthcare interventions, clean water schemes, food support programmes and the Green Borders Initiative.
“Beyond every classroom renovated, every borehole commissioned and every tree planted is something even more enduring—trust,” Adeniyi said, stressing that the award validates the Service’s commitment to combining its core responsibilities with meaningful social impact.
Speaking at the event, the Governor of Tharaka Nithi County, Kenya, Muthomi Njuki, underscored the importance of international collaboration in tackling climate challenges.
He said no nation could confront the climate crisis alone, urging greater accountability, innovation, partnerships and shared responsibility to build a greener, safer and more prosperous world.
Also commenting on the achievement, the Comptroller in charge of Corporate Social Responsibility, Mbwiduffu Ibrahim, described the award as a powerful endorsement of the Service’s community development efforts.
“For a long time, we worked believing that the impact in our communities was reward enough. Today, this international recognition tells us that those efforts have not gone unnoticed,” she said.
Organisers of the awards said the Nigeria Customs Service distinguished itself through its innovative Hub-and-Spoke Community Activation Model, which has delivered sustainable development projects to underserved communities across Nigeria.
They noted that the recognition further strengthens the reputation of the Nigeria Customs Service as a modern Customs administration that combines effective revenue generation, trade facilitation and border security with a strong commitment to environmental sustainability and community development.