Nigeria Customs' Customs Cares Initiative Wins Commonwealth Gold Award

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 at a ceremony held in Glasgow, Scotland.

The award, presented on Friday, July 31, 2026, recognises organisations implementing measurable, sustainable and community driven programmes that contribute significantly to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Customs Cares initiative was honoured for its far reaching interventions in education, healthcare, food security and environmental sustainability across Nigeria, further cementing the Service's reputation as a socially responsible public institution.

Receiving the award on behalf of the Comptroller General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, Deputy Comptroller General of Customs in charge of Enforcement, Investigation and Inspection, Timi Bomodi, described the recognition as a landmark achievement in the ongoing transformation of the Nigeria Customs Service.

He said the award validates the Service's commitment to creating value beyond its statutory responsibilities.

"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 stated.

The Comptroller General, Adewale Adeniyi, attributed the international honour to the Federal Government's Renewed Hope Agenda under President Bola Tinubu, noting that the Customs Cares programme has positively impacted more than 10 million Nigerians across 12 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

According to him, the initiative has delivered school renovations, healthcare projects, clean water schemes, food support programmes and the Green Borders Initiative aimed at promoting environmental sustainability.

"Beyond every classroom renovated, every borehole commissioned and every tree planted is something even more enduring—trust," Adeniyi 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, saying no nation could tackle the challenge alone.

He emphasised that accountability, innovation, partnerships and shared responsibility remain essential to building a greener, safer and more prosperous world.

The Comptroller in charge of Corporate Social Responsibility, Mbwiduffu Ibrahim, described the award as a motivation for the Service to deepen its community engagement 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 noted that the Nigeria Customs Service emerged victorious because of its innovative Hub-and-Spoke Community Activation Model, which has effectively expanded the reach and impact of the Customs Cares initiative nationwide.

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 sustainable national development and community empowerment.