The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has received international recognition after its flagship Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, Customs Cares, won the prestigious Commonwealth Environment and CSR Gold Award in Glasgow, Scotland.
The award, presented on Friday, honours organisations implementing measurable, sustainable and community-driven projects that advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
According to the Service, Customs Cares was recognised for its far-reaching impact in education, healthcare, food security and environmental sustainability across communities in Nigeria.
Receiving the award on behalf of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, the Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Enforcement, Investigation and Inspection, Timi Bomodi, described the recognition as a major milestone in the ongoing transformation of the Service.
He said the award reflects the growing commitment of the Nigeria Customs Service to creating value beyond its statutory responsibilities.
“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 stated.
The Comptroller-General attributed the achievement to the support of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, noting that the Customs Cares initiative has positively impacted more than 10 million Nigerians across 12 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Adeniyi explained that the programme has delivered renovated schools, healthcare interventions, clean water projects, food support and the Green Borders Initiative, stressing that its greatest accomplishment has been strengthening public confidence in the Service.
“Beyond every classroom renovated, every borehole commissioned and every tree planted is something even more enduring; trust,” he said.
Speaking at the ceremony, Governor Muthomi Njuki of Tharaka Nithi County, Kenya, emphasised the need for stronger international collaboration in addressing climate change, noting that no country can tackle the challenge alone without accountability, innovation, partnerships and shared responsibility.
Also speaking, the Comptroller in charge of Corporate Social Responsibility, Mbwiduffu Ibrahim, described the international recognition as an encouragement for the Service to deepen its community development initiatives.
“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.
The organisers said the Nigeria Customs Service earned the award in recognition of its innovative Hub-and-Spoke Community Activation Model, describing it as a framework that effectively combines social impact with sustainable development.
They added that the honour further strengthens the Service’s reputation as a modern customs administration committed not only to revenue generation, trade facilitation and border security, but also to improving the welfare of communities across Nigeria.
