Eleme Healthcare Gets Boost As Nigeria Customs Commissions Rehabilitated Facility

Eleme Healthcare Gets Boost As Nigeria Customs Commissions Rehabilitated Facility

By Prince Benson Davies

The Nigeria Customs Service has commissioned the newly rehabilitated Ebubu Primary Healthcare Centre in Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State, in a move aimed at improving access to quality healthcare at the grassroots.

The project was executed under the Service’s Corporate Social Responsibility programme known as Customs Cares, which focuses on supporting host communities and contributing to social development beyond the core mandates of the Service.

Speaking during the commissioning ceremony on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, said the intervention demonstrates the Service’s commitment to the wellbeing of Nigerians and its resolve to make positive impact in communities where it operates.

He said the Nigeria Customs Service has responsibilities that go beyond revenue collection, trade facilitation and border security, adding that contributing to community development is part of its broader national duty.

The Customs boss recalled that the Service officially launched its CSR programme, Customs Cares, in March 2025. Since then, he said, the programme has delivered interventions in various sectors including renovation of schools, provision of scholarships, medical outreaches, rehabilitation of healthcare facilities, distribution of food items, agricultural support, skills acquisition, installation of solar-powered street lights, construction of boreholes and provision of other community infrastructure.

According to him, the choice of Ebubu Primary Healthcare Centre was deliberate because of the critical role primary healthcare plays in human dignity, productivity and overall community development. He noted that before the intervention, the deplorable state of the facility had hampered the delivery of quality healthcare services to residents of Ebubu and neighbouring communities.

He said what the Service has achieved with the rehabilitation goes beyond physical renovation, describing it as an investment in access to healthcare, dignity and hope for the people.

Adeniyi however emphasized that the long term value of the project would depend on how well the facility is managed and maintained after commissioning. He called for adequate staffing of the centre, regular maintenance of equipment and infrastructure, and sustained support from relevant government agencies and the community to ensure sustainability.

He expressed appreciation to traditional rulers, community leaders, the Rivers State Government, the Rivers State Primary Health Care Board, Eleme Local Government Council, healthcare professionals and other stakeholders who supported the successful completion of the project.

In his remarks, the Customs Area Controller, Port Harcourt II Area Command, Onne, Comptroller Aliyu Alkali, said the performance of the Nigeria Customs Service should not be assessed only by revenue figures and enforcement records, but also by the positive impact it makes in the lives of people in its host communities.

Also speaking at the event, the Comptroller in charge of the Corporate Social Responsibility Unit of the Service, Comptroller Patience Ibrahim, said the Ebubu project reflects the Service’s belief that its obligation to Nigerians extends beyond statutory duties to making meaningful difference in communities.

Dignitaries at the ceremony, including community leaders and health officials, said the rehabilitated healthcare centre will bring quality and affordable healthcare closer to the people and reduce the burden of travelling long distances to access medical services. They urged the community and other stakeholders to take ownership of the facility, protect it from vandalism and ensure its continued usefulness for present and future generations.