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The Nigeria Caustoms Service (NCS) has earned international acclaim after its flagship Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, Customs Cares, won the prestigious Commonwealth Environment and CSR Gold Award in Glasgow, Scotland.
The award, presented on Friday, July 31, 2026, recognises organisations implementing measurable, sustainable and community-driven projects that advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Customs Cares emerged as one of the standout initiatives for its far-reaching interventions in education, healthcare, food security and environmental sustainability across Nigeria.
The latest recognition marks another milestone for the Nigeria Customs Service under the leadership of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, whose administration has sought to reposition the Service beyond its traditional responsibilities of revenue generation, trade facilitation and border security.
Receiving the award on behalf of the Comptroller-General, the Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Enforcement, Investigation and Inspection, Timi Bomodi, described the honour as a defining moment in the Service’s ongoing transformation.
“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.
Adeniyi dedicated the award to the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying the success of Customs Cares aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda’s emphasis on inclusive development and improved public service delivery.
According to him, the initiative has positively impacted more than 10 million Nigerians across 12 states and the Federal Capital Territory through projects including school renovations, healthcare interventions, clean water schemes, food support programmes and the Green Borders Initiative.
“Beyond every classroom renovated, every borehole commissioned and every tree planted is something even more enduring; trust,” Adeniyi said.
The Comptroller-General noted that the award validates the Service’s commitment to using its institutional capacity to improve the welfare of communities while promoting sustainable development.
Also speaking at the event, the Governor of Tharaka Nithi County in Kenya, Muthomi Njuki, underscored the importance of international cooperation in addressing climate change and environmental challenges.
“No country could solve the crisis alone, but through accountability, partnership, innovation and shared responsibility, the world could become greener, safer and more prosperous,” he said.
The Comptroller in charge of Corporate Social Responsibility, Mbwiduffu Ibrahim, described the international recognition as both an honour and a motivation for the Service to deepen its community development efforts.
“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 secured the Gold Award largely because of its innovative Hub-and-Spoke Community Activation Model, which has enabled the Customs Cares initiative to deliver sustainable development projects to communities across the country.
They added that the recognition reinforces the Nigeria Customs Service’s growing reputation as a modern customs administration committed not only to revenue generation, trade facilitation and border security but also to environmental stewardship, social responsibility and sustainable national development.
