The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has strengthened its growing international reputation after its flagship Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, Customs Cares, clinched the prestigious Commonwealth Environment and CSR Gold Award in Glasgow, Scotland, in recognition of its far-reaching social and environmental impact.
The honour, presented on Friday, July 31, 2026, celebrates organisations implementing measurable, sustainable and community-focused interventions that advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The NCS earned the accolade for the transformative impact of Customs Cares in education, healthcare, food security and environmental sustainability across communities in Nigeria.
Receiving the award on behalf of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, the Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Enforcement, Investigation and Inspection, Timi Bomodi, described the recognition as a defining moment in the Service’s ongoing institutional 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,” he said.
Adeniyi attributed the international recognition to the enabling environment created by 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 through school rehabilitation projects, healthcare interventions, access to clean water, 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,” he added.
The ceremony also highlighted the importance of global collaboration in addressing environmental challenges.
Speaking at the event, the Governor of Tharaka-Nithi County, Kenya, Muthomi Njuki, stressed the need for collective action to tackle climate change.
“No country could solve the crisis alone, but that through accountability, partnership, innovation and shared responsibility, the world could become greener, safer and more prosperous,” he said.
Also speaking, the Comptroller in charge of Corporate Social Responsibility, Mbwiduffu Ibrahim, described the award as both a validation of the Service’s efforts and an encouragement to deepen its community development programmes.
“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 for its innovative Hub-and-Spoke Community Activation Model, which has become a benchmark for delivering sustainable community interventions.
They noted that the recognition further reinforces the Service’s reputation as a modern Customs administration that is successfully integrating revenue generation, trade facilitation and border security with meaningful investments in sustainable development and social impact.
