Customs renovates Ife Girls High School, offers university scholarships to top 3 students

 

 

Maureen Aguta

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has renovated and commissioned Ife Girls High School, Ile-Ife, Osun State, as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, Customs Cares.

The upgraded school was commissioned on Monday, September 14, 2026, with the Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, challenging students to seize the opportunity created by the intervention to excel academically.

Addressing the students, Adeniyi described education as a critical pathway to a better future, urging them to remain focused despite the challenges they may face.

“Education is the passport that you need for a better life, for a better future, not just for you, but for your parents, your community, and the country. It is education that’s going to make a difference in you, irrespective of how difficult it is for you,” he said.

As part of the initiative, the CGC announced university scholarships for the school’s three best-performing students, effectively putting the students under pressure to translate the improved learning environment into academic excellence.

“What this means is that I have thrown the ball into your court. I now want you to reward me back,” Adeniyi told the students.

He explained that the intervention was part of the NCS’s wider CSR programme being implemented in communities across the country.

The Osun State Commissioner for Education, Dipo Eluwole, described the project as a significant milestone for education in the state, noting that the intervention went beyond the renovation of buildings.

“This is indeed a comprehensive intervention. It addresses the school’s educational, administrative, sanitary, recreational, environmental, and worker needs,” Eluwole said.

According to him, the project demonstrated an appreciation of the connection between the quality of the learning environment and students’ academic performance and wellbeing.
“It demonstrates an understanding that for students to learn effectively, their physical environment must also support their well-being,” he added.

The Principal of Ife Girls High School, Martina Akinremi, expressed appreciation to the NCS for investing in the school and its students.

Akinremi pledged that the school management would ensure the facilities were properly maintained and fully utilised for the benefit of the students.

The Customs Cares intervention adds education to the areas in which the NCS is deploying its CSR activities, with the service using the programme to support communities and institutions beyond its core mandate of revenue collection, trade facilitation and border security.