TheCable

Adewale Adeniyi, acting comptroller-general of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), has expressed the readiness of the agency to bring succour to orphans and the vulnerable as part of its corporate social responsibility.

Adeniyi said this during a visit to Dorian Home, an orphanage in Akure, the Ondo state capital, on Monday.

He said the visit was necessary to enable the service assist the orphanage periodically.

Adeniyi also commended Lola Bayode, founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of the home, for the facilities provided.

“We are an agency of the government and our mandate is basically to work around and generate revenue for the country,” he said.

“We do not generate this revenue in a ghost city, we operate within society, communities and border areas within state commands.

“When we do this, we also feel that we have a responsibility to the community that helps us generate that kind of revenue.

“So, we want to remain a very committed and patriotic agency of government.

“This is why we find it necessary for us to seek out organisations like this that are responsible for taking care of the community that we serve and forge partnerships with them.

“In doing so, we also learn from the experiences we have had in the past.

“In the past, when we tried to extend hands of fellowship to places like this, we either had situations where some of those things might be diverted and end up in the wrong hands, or some of them might also end up in the markets and then be sold.

“So, this time in our review strategy, we want to identify these organisations. We want to be sure they have the proper structure to drive what they are doing.

“Then we also want to see passion and their commitment towards it.”

In her reaction, Bayode explained that the home does not only focus on providing shelter, feeding and clothing, but also funds the education of the children.

Bayode was represented by Niyi Ogunleye, general manager of Dorian Home.