The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has reinforced its growing national social investment drive with the commissioning of a fully renovated primary school in a border community in Jigawa State, underscoring the agency’s commitment to education and community development across Nigeria’s frontiers.
The project, executed in Maigari Local Government Area near Nigeria’s border with the Republic of Niger, involved the renovation of six blocks housing more than 12 classrooms at Mallam Alhassan Primary School, alongside the construction of a solar-powered borehole, 16 units of ventilated improved pit latrines, and the provision of desks, sports kits and learning materials for over 1,800 pupils.
Speaking at the handover ceremony, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, described the intervention as part of the Service’s Corporate Social Responsibility initiative known as “Customs Cares,” designed to complement its core mandates of revenue generation, trade facilitation and border security.
“Today’s occasion is not just about infrastructure,” Adeniyi said. “It is about reinforcing our philosophy that institutions must go beyond enforcement to demonstrate compassion and tangible community impact.”
He noted that sustainable national development requires public institutions to invest directly in people, especially in underserved border communities that play strategic roles in Nigeria’s economic and security architecture.
According to him, the Customs Cares initiative, launched in 2025 in Abuja, is structured around six pillars, namely education, healthcare, social investment, environmental sustainability, food security and support for the creative economy and is being progressively expanded nationwide.
Adeniyi pledged that the next phase of intervention at the school would include the construction of a perimeter fence to enhance security and create a safer learning environment for pupils.
Operational Philosophy
Also speaking, the Zonal Coordinator, Zone B, Assistant Comptroller-General Nsikan Patrick Umoh, said the project reflects the institutionalisation of Corporate Social Responsibility as a core operational philosophy of the Service.
She explained that beyond classroom renovation, the intervention included the installation of a solar-powered borehole to improve water access and hygiene, a botanical garden, distribution of more than 1,800 educational kits, and the earlier donation of medical supplies to the Maigari Health Centre.
Umoh said that the initiative aligns with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals, noting that funding is supported through a multi-stakeholder framework, including structured contributions from officers and partnerships with government agencies and host communities.
Beyond Border Enforcement
Representing Governor Umar Namadi, the Jigawa State Commissioner for Budget, Babangida Umar, commended the Nigeria Customs Service for extending its impact beyond border enforcement to community development.
He pledged state support through the planting of 100 trees and the provision of shade to further enhance the school environment.
The Chairman of Maigari Local Government, Usman Na’Allah, and the Emir of Gumel, Ahmed Muhammad Sani, represented by Alhaji Sani Abdullahi, expressed appreciation to the Customs Service for prioritising education in a strategic border community.
The commissioning marks another milestone in the Nigeria Customs’ expanding nationwide CSR footprint, as the agency positions community development as a complementary pillar to national security and economic growth, particularly in border regions critical to Nigeria’s stability and prosperity.