The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has strengthened access to primary healthcare in Eleme, Rivers State, with the commissioning of the rehabilitated Ebubu Primary Healthcare Centre under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, Customs Cares.
Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, who commissioned the facility on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, said the intervention reflected the Service’s commitment to supporting communities beyond its statutory responsibilities of revenue collection, trade facilitation and border security.
Adeniyi said the rehabilitation was particularly significant because healthcare was fundamental to human dignity, productivity and community development.
He recalled that the NCS formally launched its Customs Cares CSR 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.
According to him, the condition of the Ebubu Primary Healthcare Centre before the intervention had affected the delivery of quality 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 Comptroller-General, however, stressed that the rehabilitation would only achieve its intended purpose if the facility was properly managed and maintained.
He said its sustainability would require adequate staffing, regular maintenance and continued support from relevant government institutions and the community.
Adeniyi appreciated the traditional rulers, community leaders, Rivers State Government, Rivers State Primary Health Care Board, Eleme Local Government Council, healthcare professionals and other stakeholders who contributed to the success of the project.
Also speaking, 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 or enforcement statistics, but also by the positive difference it makes in communities where it operates.
Comptroller Patience Ibrahim, who heads the NCS Corporate Social Responsibility Unit, said the initiative reflected the Service’s belief that its responsibility to Nigerians extended beyond revenue collection to making a meaningful difference in the communities it serves.
Dignitaries at the commissioning said the rehabilitated centre would bring quality healthcare closer to residents and urged the community and other stakeholders to take ownership of the facility to ensure its continued usefulness.