The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has earned international recognition 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, celebrates organisations implementing measurable, sustainable and community-driven initiatives that advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Customs Cares was recognised for its impactful interventions in education, healthcare, food security and environmental sustainability across Nigeria.
Receiving the award on behalf of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, the Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Enforcement, Investigation and Inspection, Timi Bomodi, described the recognition as a major milestone 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.
The Comptroller-General attributed the international honour to the success of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, noting that the Customs Cares initiative has positively impacted more than 10 million Nigerians across 12 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
According to Adeniyi, the programme has delivered school renovations, healthcare interventions, clean water projects, food support and environmental initiatives through the Green Borders Initiative.
“Beyond every classroom renovated, every borehole commissioned and every tree planted is something even more enduring—trust,” he said.
Also speaking at the event, the Governor of Tharaka Nithi County in Kenya, Muthomi Njuki, stressed the importance of global collaboration in addressing climate change. “No country can solve the crisis alone.
Through accountability, partnership, innovation and shared responsibility, the world can become greener, safer and more prosperous,” he stated.
The Comptroller in charge of Corporate Social Responsibility, Mbwiduffu Ibrahim, said the award would inspire 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.
The award organisers said the Nigeria Customs Service distinguished itself through its innovative Hub-and-Spoke Community Activation Model, describing the initiative as a benchmark for sustainable public sector impact.
The recognition further strengthens the Nigeria Customs Service’s reputation as a forward-looking customs administration committed not only to revenue generation, trade facilitation and border security, but also to sustainable development and community empowerment.
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