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The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has committed about N70 billion to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects nationwide, with education and critical infrastructure identified as major areas of intervention.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed this on Monday while speaking with journalists after commissioning renovated facilities at Ife Girls’ High School in Ile-Ife, Osun State.
Adeniyi said the initiative was driven by the need to complement government efforts in addressing infrastructure gaps and improving the quality of education across the country.
According to him, the government alone cannot meet the huge infrastructure needs confronting public institutions, making it necessary for organisations, foundations, alumni associations and other stakeholders to contribute to the development of critical facilities.
“It is a challenge for all of us, and we have to take that as a responsibility. It is practically impossible for the government to do it all alone,” he said.
The Customs boss said the Service had identified schools and other educational facilities across different parts of the country where targeted interventions could significantly improve the learning environment.
He explained that the objective was not simply to renovate buildings but to create facilities that would make schools more attractive to students and support better learning outcomes.
The ₦70 billion CSR commitment, he said, formed part of the Service’s broader effort to contribute to socioeconomic development beyond its traditional mandate of revenue collection, trade facilitation and border management.
At Ife Girls’ High School, the NCS renovated four classroom blocks, a laboratory building, a staff building and the principal’s lodge.
The intervention was carried out at the 60-year-old school as part of efforts to improve girl-child education and provide students with a more conducive environment for learning.
Adeniyi described the condition of the school before the intervention as disturbing, particularly the laboratory.
“The level of decay before our intervention in Ife Girls High School was appalling,” he said, recalling that Customs officials had to deal with overgrown vegetation and snakes and squirrels before gaining access to the laboratory.
He said the condition of the facility demonstrated the extent of the infrastructure challenges confronting many public schools.
“It was quite a huge amount that we have expended on the projects. I am happy that, for the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the Nigeria Customs Service, we are committed to donating a quarter of our yearly salary to these projects,” Adeniyi said.
He said the Service’s CSR budget from the previous year to the period under review was in the region of ₦70 billion, adding that part of the funds was used to execute the Ife Girls’ High School project.
The CGC urged other stakeholders, including Parents Teachers Associations (PTAs), alumni bodies, charitable organisations and foundations, to increase their support for educational infrastructure.
“Like-minded people, Parents Teachers Associations (PTAs), charitable organisations, and foundations will have to prioritise education as it concerns infrastructure,” he said.
Adeniyi also stressed the importance of giving greater attention to girl-child education, noting that the Ife Girls’ High School project was particularly significant because of the age and condition of the institution.
“This school is 60 years old; we felt that we need to do this intervention so that girl-child education will be given the important place it deserves,” he said.
He added that the intervention had received the support of stakeholders, including the Osun State Government, the school’s Old Girls Association and the Ooni of Ife.
The Customs chief said similar projects would be undertaken in other parts of the country, noting that the Service had identified educational facilities requiring intervention.
“We have identified educational facilities in several schools located in all parts of the country where intervention like this can help us improve learning environments and make education attractive to the younger ones,” he said.
The Principal of Ife Girls’ High School, Mrs Akinremi Iyabo, commended the NCS for the renovation, describing it as an investment in the future of the students and society.
She assured that the school would properly maintain the renovated facilities and ensure that students used them responsibly.
The intervention underscores the NCS’s growing emphasis on targeted CSR projects, particularly in areas where infrastructure deficiencies could undermine access to quality education.
The Service’s position also highlights the need for greater collaboration between government and private institutions in closing Nigeria’s infrastructure gaps, especially in public schools where funding constraints have left many facilities in poor condition.
