Expert hails ‘Customs Cares’ commonwealth award
Expert hails ‘Customs Cares’ commonwealth award
Lagos, Aug. 6, 2026, The 2026 Commonwealth Gold Award for Environment and Corporate Social Responsibility validates the impact of the Nigeria Customs Service’s ‘Customs Cares’ initiative, Mr Okey Ibeke has said.
Ibeke, Principal Consultant of International Trade Advisory Services Ltd., said this in a statement issued on Thursday in Lagos.
He said the award recognised Customs’ transformation beyond revenue collection into community development, environmental sustainability and social inclusion.
He noted that the introduction of ‘Customs Cares’ by Comptroller-General Bashir Adeniyi institutionalised corporate social responsibility within customs administration and public sector governance.
According to him, the initiative aligns Customs interventions with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda by delivering programmes to port, border and command communities.
‘Customs Cares’ is built on six pillars: education, healthcare, food security, environmental sustainability, social investment and the creative economy.
The programme was designed to improve the quality of life of Nigerians through targeted interventions across communities nationwide.
Ibeke noted that Customs Headquarters and Area Commands had implemented numerous projects addressing pressing educational, healthcare, environmental and youth empowerment needs.
Under education, he said the service renovated schools, rehabilitated classrooms and donated desks, textbooks, solar streetlights and water facilities.
He added that scholarships and educational assistance had also been provided to support students in various communities.
On healthcare, Ibeke said Customs organised free medical outreaches, consultations, eye tests and screenings for blood pressure and diabetes.
He added that medicines were distributed while health awareness campaigns targeted residents of rural and border communities.
“The interventions have touched thousands of lives. Pupils now learn in better environments, while many residents benefit from free healthcare and social services,” he said.
Ibeke said environmental sustainability remained a major driver of the recognition, citing tree-planting campaigns, sanitation exercises and solar energy projects.
He added that waste management and other climate-friendly initiatives had helped create healthier and safer communities across the federation.
The consultant noted that Customs also invested in youth development through skills acquisition, entrepreneurship support and empowerment programmes.
He said grassroots sporting activities had strengthened relations between Customs officers and host communities.
Ibeke praised the service for extending interventions to border communities that had historically experienced limited government presence.
He said boreholes, educational support, medical outreaches and youth-focused projects had helped bridge governance gaps in such areas.
“Customs Cares has brought governance closer to the grassroots. Communities now experience Customs’ human face through projects that directly improve daily living conditions,” he said.
Ibeke described the Commonwealth Gold Award as an endorsement of Adeniyi’s leadership and vision for a modern customs administration.
According to him, the service now delivers value beyond revenue generation, trade facilitation and border security responsibilities.
Ibeke expressed confidence that institutionalised CSR would deepen public trust as Customs sustained structured community projects nationwide.
He said the initiative would further strengthen the service’s reputation as one of Africa’s most progressive customs administrations.