Nigeria Customs Wins Commonwealth Gold Award for ‘Customs Cares’ Initiative
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND — The Nigeria Customs Service has received international recognition for its flagship Corporate Social Responsibility programme, “Customs Cares,” after the initiative won the Commonwealth Environment and CSR Gold Award.
According to a statement from the Service, the award was presented in Glasgow, Scotland, on Friday, July 31, 2026. It recognised the programme’s interventions in education, healthcare, food security, environmental sustainability and community development across Nigeria.
The Commonwealth Environment and CSR Awards honour organisations implementing measurable, sustainable and community-driven programmes that contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Customs Cares was selected for the Gold Award following an assessment of its community-focused projects and the model through which the Nigeria Customs Service identifies needs, implements interventions and extends support to multiple communities.
Receiving the award on behalf of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, Deputy Comptroller-General Timi Bomodi described the recognition as an important milestone in the transformation of the Service.
Bomodi, who oversees Enforcement, Investigation and Inspection, said the award demonstrated that public institutions can create value beyond their primary 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,” he said.
The recognition represents a significant achievement for an organisation traditionally associated with revenue collection, trade facilitation, anti-smuggling operations and border security.
Through Customs Cares, the Service has sought to expand its contribution to national development by responding to pressing needs within communities, particularly those located around its areas of operation.
The Nigeria Customs Service established its Corporate Social Responsibility unit in 2025 to coordinate sustainable social investments. The initiative was designed to support national development priorities through school renovations, healthcare interventions, agricultural support, skills acquisition and youth empowerment. Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation
Comptroller-General Adeniyi attributed the international recognition to the direction provided by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which places emphasis on inclusive growth, improved public services and sustainable national development.
According to him, Customs Cares has reportedly reached more than 10 million people across 12 states and the Federal Capital Territory through educational, healthcare, food security, clean-water and environmental interventions.
The projects cited by the Service include the renovation of schools, provision of boreholes, distribution of food and educational materials, healthcare support and tree-planting activities under its Green Borders Initiative.
Adeniyi said the physical projects represent only one part of the programme’s broader objective. He explained that the initiative was also designed to strengthen public confidence and improve the relationship between the Service and host communities.
“Beyond every classroom renovated, every borehole commissioned and every tree planted is something even more enduring: trust,” he said.
Public trust is particularly important for agencies operating at Nigeria’s borders and trade corridors. Customs officers regularly interact with traders, transporters, businesses and residents of border communities. Positive engagement with these groups can support cooperation, improve access to information and strengthen institutional effectiveness.
The programme’s focus on education has included the renovation of learning facilities, distribution of educational materials and installation of security and solar-powered infrastructure in selected schools.
In March 2026, the Service marked the first anniversary of Customs Cares by commissioning projects at Government Secondary School, Wuse, Abuja. The intervention included a renovated assembly hall, sporting materials and tree planting intended to improve the school environment and promote environmental responsibility. PRNigeria
Healthcare interventions under the initiative are intended to improve access to basic medical services in underserved communities. Its food-security component also supports vulnerable households and communities confronting economic and agricultural challenges.
Environmental sustainability has emerged as another major area of the programme. Through tree planting, climate awareness and the Green Borders Initiative, the Service says it is working to promote environmental responsibility within border communities and Customs formations.
Speaking during the award event, the Governor of Tharaka Nithi County in Kenya, Muthomi Njuki, stressed the importance of international cooperation in addressing environmental challenges.
Njuki said no country could solve the climate crisis independently, adding that accountability, innovation, partnership and shared responsibility were essential to building a greener, safer and more prosperous world.
His remarks reinforced the wider message behind the awards: environmental sustainability and community development require cooperation among governments, public institutions, private organisations and local communities.
Comptroller Mbwidiffu Ibrahim, who oversees the Customs CSR unit, said the Gold Award would encourage the Service to expand its interventions and improve the quality of its community programmes.
“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.
According to the organisers, Customs Cares earned the award for its innovative Hub-and-Spoke Community Activation Model.
The model is designed to support the coordinated implementation of projects by connecting central planning and oversight with interventions that respond to the needs of individual communities. This approach is intended to ensure that projects are scalable while remaining relevant to local priorities.
While the award provides international recognition, the long-term value of the initiative will depend on the sustainability of the projects and the transparency of their implementation.
School buildings, boreholes, health facilities and other community assets require clear maintenance arrangements to remain useful after commissioning. Regular reporting will also be important in demonstrating how beneficiaries are counted, how communities are selected and what measurable changes the projects produce.
Effective monitoring can help the Service determine which interventions are producing the strongest outcomes and where improvements may be required. It would also allow the public to assess the programme based on evidence rather than the number of projects announced.
The Commonwealth Gold Award adds a new dimension to the international profile of the Nigeria Customs Service. It recognises the organisation not only for its traditional responsibilities but also for its efforts to integrate community development and environmental sustainability into its operations.
For Customs Cares, however, the award is unlikely to be the final measure of success. Its enduring impact will be determined by whether renovated classrooms remain functional, water facilities continue serving communities, healthcare projects improve access to treatment and environmental initiatives produce measurable results.
The recognition nevertheless reinforces the growing expectation that public institutions should contribute to development beyond their immediate operational mandates.
For the Nigeria Customs Service, the award presents both an achievement and a responsibility: to sustain its interventions, strengthen accountability and ensure that Customs Cares continues to deliver meaningful improvements to communities across Nigeria.
