By Onu Okorie
Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has commissioned a fully renovated Ife Girls High School, Ile-Ife, Osun State, as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, “Customs Cares.”
The facility was commissioned on Monday, September 14, 2026, in an intervention aimed at providing a more conducive learning environment for students and improving the school’s educational and welfare facilities.
The commissioning marked another example of collaboration between government institutions and communities in strengthening Nigeria’s education sector and creating better conditions for young people to learn and develop.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, urged the students to remain committed to their education, stressing that education remained a critical pathway to a better future.
Addressing the students, Adeniyi said education was essential not only to their personal development but also to the progress of their families, communities and the country.
“Education is the passport that you need for a better life, for a better future, not just for you, but for your parents, your community, and the country. It is education that’s going to make a difference in you, irrespective of how difficult it is for you,” he said.
The Customs boss also announced university scholarships for the three best-performing students of the school, challenging the students to reciprocate the organisation’s investment by excelling academically.
According to him, the scholarship was part of the broader commitment of the NCS to support education and community development across the country.
“What this means is that I have thrown the ball into your court. I now want you to reward me back. What we are doing today is part of our wider corporate social responsibility programme, which we are executing in different parts of the country,” Adeniyi said.
The Osun State Commissioner for Education, Dipo Eluwole, described the project as a significant milestone for education in the state, noting that the intervention went beyond the renovation of buildings.
Eluwole said the project provided a comprehensive intervention covering the school’s educational, administrative, sanitary, recreational and environmental needs, as well as the welfare of its workers.
“This is indeed a comprehensive intervention. It addresses the school’s educational, administrative, sanitary, recreational, environmental, and worker needs,” he said.
The commissioner added that the initiative demonstrated the importance of creating a physical environment that supports students’ well-being and enhances effective learning.