The Comptroller General of Customs, CGC Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, has commissioned a newly renovated Local Authority Primary School and a Primary Healthcare Centre in the Sagbokoji Community, Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos.
The development, which took place on Wednesday, is part of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS’s) Corporate Social Responsiblity (CSR) tagged the “Customs Cares Initiative”.
Speaking during the launch, Comptroller Adeniyi said that the Service remains committed to supporting host communities, noting that the initiative addresses both educational and infrastructural needs.
“We are undertaking projects that will have a direct impact on our schools and students. We have brought school bags, exercise books, textbooks, and sandals for all the pupils of this school. We are also improving infrastructure where we see deficits, and what we have chosen to do is renovate the entire school. I’m happy that, through Apapa and the stakeholders, we have been able to deliver on this project,” he stated.
The Comptroller stressed the the importance of healthcare to community development, asserting that it is a critical pillar of what the Service is doing.
“We know that the needs of this community are more than what we have done, but we have taken the first step towards entering into an enduring partnership with this community,” the Customs boss added.
On his part, the Customs Area Controller of Apapa Command, Comptroller Babatunde Olomu, affirmed that the project exemplifies the Service’s commitment to community well-being, beyond its core mandates of trade facilitation, revenue generation, and anti-smuggling.
“The benevolence from Customs shows that we have compassion for the communities where we cohabit, and this was what informed this very project. In the last four weeks, it’s been both day and night, workers have been here, with the active support of our distinguished stakeholders, to ensure that this project actually sees the light of day,” Olomu remarked.
In his goodwill message, Chairman of Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Area, Engr. Valentine Buraimoh, expressed gratitude to the NCS, describing the gesture as “unprecedented”.
“This is the first time we are witnessing uniform men in the helm of affairs doing this project. And today, I’m highly elated by this gesture. I want to appreciate the NCS for renovating our school and the Primary Healthcare Centre,” Buraimoh said.
The Headmaster of LA Primary School, Oladeyo Emmanuel, also lauded the Service for its intervention, emphasising that the facelift would boost the morale of both teachers and students.
The event featured the distribution of educational materials to pupils and culminated in the official commissioning of both the school and the healthcare facility.
