Nigeria Customs’ CSR initiative wins commonwealth gold award

By Adebola Isimijola, Lagos

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has recorded a major international achievement as its flagship Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme, Customs Cares, won the Commonwealth Environment and CSR Gold Award in Glasgow, Scotland.

The award, presented on Friday, July 31, 2026, according to a statement made available to journalists on Sunday by the National Public Relations Officer of the Service, Deputy Comptroller of Customs Abdullahi Aliyu Maiwada recognises organisations implementing sustainable, community-based initiatives that advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The Customs Cares initiative was recognised for its interventions in education, healthcare, food security and environmental sustainability across Nigeria.

The Service disclosed this in a statement, saying the award reflects the growing global recognition of its efforts to complement its core responsibilities with community development programmes.

Receiving the award on behalf of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of Enforcement, Investigation and Inspection, Timi Bomodi, described the recognition as a defining milestone in the Service’s transformation journey.

“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.

Adeniyi attributed the recognition to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, noting that the Customs Cares initiative has reached more than 10 million Nigerians in 12 states and the Federal Capital Territory through school renovations, healthcare projects, clean water schemes, food support and the Green Borders Initiative.

“Beyond every classroom renovated, every borehole commissioned and every tree planted is something even more enduring; trust,” the Comptroller-General said.

Governor of Tharaka Nithi County, Kenya, Muthomi Njuki, who spoke at the event, underscored the importance of global collaboration in addressing climate challenges.

“No country could solve the crisis alone, but through accountability, partnership, innovation and shared responsibility, the world could become greener, safer and more prosperous,” he said.

Also speaking, the Comptroller in charge of Corporate Social Responsibility, Mbwiduffu Ibrahim, said the international recognition would encourage the Service to expand its community impact.

“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 for its innovative Hub-and-Spoke Community Activation Model, adding that the recognition reinforces the Service’s commitment to revenue generation, trade facilitation, border security and sustainable development.