The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has commissioned the rehabilitated Ebubu Primary Healthcare Centre in Eleme, Rivers State, under its Corporate Social Responsibility initiative, Customs Cares.
The intervention, according to the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, is part of the Service’s efforts to support communities and contribute to their social development beyond its statutory responsibilities of revenue collection, trade facilitation and border security.
Adeniyi spoke on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, while commissioning the facility, stressing that the Customs Service had a responsibility to contribute to the wellbeing of communities where it operates.
The CGC recalled that the NCS officially launched the Customs Cares programme in March 2025, with interventions covering school renovations, scholarships, medical outreaches, healthcare facility rehabilitation, food distribution, agricultural initiatives, skills acquisition, solar-powered lighting, boreholes and other community infrastructure.
He described the Ebubu healthcare project as particularly significant, noting that access to quality healthcare was fundamental to human dignity, productivity and community development.
According to him, the condition of the facility before the intervention had affected the delivery of primary healthcare services to residents and surrounding communities.
“What we have achieved here is therefore more than physical rehabilitation. We have invested in access, dignity and hope,” Adeniyi said.
The Customs boss, however, emphasised that the rehabilitation would only achieve its intended purpose if the facility was properly managed and maintained.
He called for adequate staffing, regular maintenance and sustained support from relevant government institutions and the community to ensure the long-term viability of the centre.
Adeniyi also commended the traditional rulers, community leaders, Rivers State Government, Rivers State Primary Health Care Board, Eleme Local Government Council, healthcare professionals and other stakeholders whose contributions helped bring the project to fruition.
Speaking at the event, the Customs Area Controller, Port Harcourt II Area Command, Onne, Comptroller Aliyu Alkali, said the impact of the Service should not be measured solely by revenue figures and enforcement statistics, but also by the positive difference it makes in the communities where it operates.
Also speaking, the Comptroller in charge of the Corporate Social Responsibility Unit, Comptroller Patience Ibrahim, said Customs Cares reflected the Service’s commitment to extending its responsibility to Nigerians beyond revenue collection and enforcement.
She said the initiative was designed to make a meaningful and sustainable difference in communities across the country.
Dignitaries at the commissioning commended the intervention, saying the rehabilitated healthcare centre would bring quality primary healthcare services closer to residents of Eleme and its environs.
They also urged members of the community and other stakeholders to take ownership of the facility, protect the infrastructure and support its effective operation for the benefit of present and future generations.
