Lagos, Nigeria | May 1, 2025,— In a significant step toward fostering community development, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) unveiled a renovated primary school and healthcare centre in Sagbokoji, Lagos State, on Wednesday, April 30, 2025. The projects, executed under the NCS’s “Customs Care” Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, mark the latest effort by the agency to address infrastructure gaps in host communities while expanding its role beyond revenue generation and border security.
Bridging Gaps in Education and Healthcare
Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC) Adewale Adeniyi inaugurated the upgraded Local Authority Primary School and Primary Healthcare Centre in Sagbokoji, a riverine community in Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Area. The event underscored the NCS’s evolving commitment to social impact, a tradition dating back to the early 2000s when the agency first formalized its CSR programs. Historically focused on port communities, the initiative has since expanded to underserved regions nationwide.
“Education and healthcare are pillars of sustainable development,” Adeniyi stated during the commissioning. “Today, we are not just renovating buildings—we are investing in futures.” The school received structural upgrades, new furniture, and educational materials, including textbooks, school bags, and sandals for all pupils. The healthcare facility, now equipped with modern amenities, aims to improve access to basic medical services for Sagbokoji’s residents.
A Partnership Model for Progress
Customs Area Controller (CAC) Babatunde Olomu of Apapa Command highlighted the collaborative nature of the project, crediting stakeholders and local workers for their round-the-clock efforts to meet the four-week deadline. “This is a testament to our belief that security and prosperity go hand-in-hand,” Olomu remarked. “By improving lives, we build trust—a critical asset in our operations.”
The initiative aligns with broader national goals to reduce Nigeria’s out-of-school population, estimated at 20 million by UNICEF in 2022, and improve healthcare access in rural areas. Sagbokoji, a community long reliant on fishing and subsistence farming, has historically faced infrastructure neglect despite its strategic proximity to Lagos’ bustling ports.
Community Applause and Future Steps
Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Chairman, Engr. Valentine Buraimoh, praised the NCS for its “unprecedented” intervention, noting it was the first time uniformed personnel had spearheaded such a project in the area. “This gesture bridges the gap between security agencies and civilians,” he said.
Oladeyo Emmanuel, the school’s headmaster, emphasized the psychological impact of the renovations. “A dilapidated environment dampens morale. Now, teachers and pupils alike feel valued and motivated,” he shared.
While Adeniyi acknowledged Sagbokoji’s needs extend beyond the current projects, he hinted at sustained collaboration: “This is a first step. Our goal is ean nduring partnership.”
A Legacy of Service
The NCS’s CSR drive, formally branded Customs Care” in 2020, has executed over 200 projects nationwide, including boreholes, clinics, and scholarship programs. The Sagbokoji initiative reinforces the agency’s pivot toward holistic community engagement—a strategy increasingly adopted by security institutions across West Africa to strengthen civic ties.
As pupils sang the national anthem in their revitalized classrooms, the event served as a reminder of the transformative power of public-private partnerships in tackling systemic challenges. For Sagbokoji, the promise of better education and healthcare now carries renewed hope.