Customs earns Commonwealth CSR award for community impact

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has received the Commonwealth Environment and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Gold Award in recognition of its community development initiatives under the Customs Cares programme.

The award, presented in Glasgow, Scotland, honours organisations whose projects deliver measurable social and environmental benefits while advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

According to the organisers, the Customs Service was recognised for its interventions in education, healthcare, food security and environmental sustainability, as well as its Hub-and-Spoke Community Activation Model.

The recognition comes as the agency continues efforts to broaden its role beyond revenue generation and border protection by promoting community development and public engagement.

Receiving the award on behalf of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, the Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of Enforcement, Investigation and Inspection, Timi Bomodi, described the honour as a reflection of the Service’s commitment to creating lasting value for Nigerians.

Adeniyi said the Customs Cares initiative has positively impacted more than 10 million people across 12 states and the Federal Capital Territory through projects that include school renovations, healthcare outreach, potable water schemes, food assistance and the Green Borders Initiative.

He noted that the programme was designed not only to improve lives but also to strengthen public trust in the Service.

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

The Customs Service said the award reinforces its drive to align its operations with global best practices by combining trade facilitation, border security and revenue collection with sustainable development and social responsibility.

Comptroller in charge of Corporate Social Responsibility, Mbwiduffu Ibrahim, said the international recognition would encourage the agency to deepen its community-focused programmes, while the organisers described the NCS as a customs administration successfully integrating economic, environmental and social objectives into its operations.