The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has received international recognition after its flagship Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme, Customs Cares, won the Commonwealth Environment and CSR Gold Award in Glasgow, Scotland.
The award, presented on July 31, recognises organisations with measurable, sustainable and community-driven interventions that contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Customs Cares was honoured for its impact in education, healthcare, food security and environmental sustainability across Nigeria.
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 major milestone in the Service’s transformation agenda.
He said the award affirmed the NCS belief that public institutions create value not only by carrying out their statutory responsibilities but also by improving lives and supporting the communities they serve.
Adeniyi attributed the recognition to the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
According to him, Customs Cares has reached more than 10 million Nigerians across 12 states and the Federal Capital Territory through school renovation projects, healthcare interventions, clean water initiatives, food support programmes and the Green Borders Initiative.
He said the programme had helped build public trust through its community-focused interventions, adding that its impact extended beyond physical infrastructure projects.
The Governor of Tharaka Nithi County in Kenya, Muthomi Njuki, who also spoke at the event, stressed the importance of global partnerships in addressing climate challenges.
He said no country could tackle the climate crisis alone and called for greater accountability, innovation and shared responsibility to create a greener, safer and more prosperous world.
The Comptroller in charge of CSR, Mbwiduffu Ibrahim, said the international recognition would encourage the Service to expand its community development efforts.
She noted that while the Service had long considered the impact of its interventions sufficient reward, the global recognition demonstrated that those efforts had gained international attention.
The award organisers said the Nigeria Customs Service was recognised for its innovative Hub-and-Spoke Community Activation Model, describing the initiative as a strong example of sustainable and inclusive community engagement.
They added that the recognition reinforces the NCS reputation as a modern customs administration committed to revenue generation, trade facilitation, border security and sustainable development.
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