Adeniyi Commissions Rehabilitated Hospital in Rivers Community to Boost Healthcare
The Nigeria Customs Service has commissioned the rehabilitated Ebubu Primary Healthcare Centre in Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State, as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility initiative, Customs Cares.
The intervention is aimed at improving access to primary healthcare and supporting the social development of communities where the Service operates.
Speaking at the commissioning on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, said the project underscored the NCS’s commitment to contributing to community wellbeing beyond its statutory responsibilities of revenue collection, trade facilitation and border security.
Adeniyi recalled that the Service formally launched the Customs Cares programme in March 2025, noting that it had since undertaken interventions in education, healthcare, agriculture and community infrastructure.
He listed school renovations, scholarships, medical outreaches, rehabilitation of healthcare facilities, food distribution, agricultural initiatives, skills acquisition programmes, solar-powered lighting and borehole projects among the areas covered by the initiative.
According to him, the Ebubu healthcare project was particularly significant because access to quality healthcare remained fundamental to human dignity, productivity and sustainable community development.
He said the condition of the health centre before its rehabilitation had constrained the delivery of primary healthcare services to residents of Ebubu and neighbouring communities.
“What we have achieved here is therefore more than physical rehabilitation. We have invested in access, dignity and hope,” the Customs boss said.
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Adeniyi, however, stressed that the sustainability of the intervention would depend on proper management and maintenance of the facility.
He called for adequate staffing, regular maintenance and sustained support from relevant government institutions and the benefiting community to ensure that the centre continued to serve its intended purpose.
The Comptroller-General commended traditional rulers, community leaders, the Rivers State Government, the Rivers State Primary Health Care Board, Eleme Local Government Council, healthcare professionals and other stakeholders for their contributions to the successful completion of the project.
Also speaking, the Customs Area Controller, Port Harcourt II Area Command, Onne, Comptroller Aliyu Alkali, said the impact of the Service should not be assessed solely through revenue generation and enforcement statistics.
He said Customs should also be judged by the positive difference its presence made in communities where it operated.
Similarly, the Comptroller in charge of the NCS Corporate Social Responsibility Unit, Patience Ibrahim, said Customs Cares reflected the Service’s commitment to making tangible contributions to the lives of Nigerians.
Ibrahim said the initiative demonstrated that the responsibility of the Customs Service extended beyond revenue collection to supporting the wellbeing and development of host communities.
Dignitaries at the commissioning commended the intervention, saying the rehabilitated facility would bring essential healthcare services closer to residents.
They also urged the community and other stakeholders to take ownership of the facility, ensure its proper maintenance and support its continued operation for the benefit of present and future generations.
By PRNigeria
