The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has secured international recognition after its flagship Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, Customs Cares, received the Commonwealth Environment and CSR Gold Award during an awards ceremony held in Glasgow, Scotland, on July 31, 2026.

The prestigious recognition honours organisations delivering measurable, sustainable and community-focused initiatives that contribute to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The NCS was recognised for the significant impact of the Customs Cares programme across education, healthcare, food security and environmental sustainability in communities throughout Nigeria.

Representing the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, at the ceremony, the Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Enforcement, Investigation and Inspection, Timi Bomodi, described the honour as an important milestone in the ongoing transformation of the Service.

“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.

According to Adeniyi, the international recognition reflects the policy direction of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. He noted that the Customs Cares programme has positively affected more than 10 million Nigerians across 12 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The initiative has delivered a broad range of interventions, including the renovation of schools, implementation of healthcare projects, provision of clean water, distribution of food support to vulnerable communities, and the rollout of the Green Borders Initiative, which promotes environmental sustainability.

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

Also speaking at the event, Muthomi Njuki, Governor of Tharaka Nithi County, Kenya, emphasised the need for stronger international cooperation in addressing environmental challenges.

He stated that no single country could confront climate change independently, stressing that accountability, partnerships, innovation and shared responsibility remain essential to creating a greener, safer and more prosperous future.

The Comptroller in charge of Corporate Social Responsibility, Mbwiduffu Ibrahim, described the award as further motivation for the Service to expand 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.

According to the organisers, the Nigeria Customs Service received the Gold Award in recognition of its innovative Hub-and-Spoke Community Activation Model, which has strengthened the implementation of social intervention projects across communities.

They added that the honour further enhances the Nigeria Customs Service’s reputation as a modern customs administration dedicated not only to revenue generation, trade facilitation and border security, but also to sustainable development and community empowerment.

Source: PRNigeria