The Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, has charged Public Relations Officers (PROs) of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to adopt strategic and impactful communication in promoting reforms, strengthening institutional credibility and sustaining public trust.
Adeniyi gave the charge on Friday at the closing ceremony of the 2026 Nigeria Customs Service Public Relations Conference held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The four-day conference, themed “Realigning Corporate Communication as a Strategic Driver of Institutional Effectiveness and Public Trust,” focused on repositioning corporate communication as a key management tool for enhancing institutional effectiveness.
The Customs boss described the conference as a timely platform for reflection, learning and institutional renewal, noting that communication has become central to the success of reforms across the world.
“Communication has evolved from a support service into a strategic management function. Reforms cannot succeed unless they are understood, accepted and trusted by the people they are designed to serve,” Adeniyi said.
He urged Customs spokespersons to adapt to the realities of digital media, artificial intelligence and real-time information by becoming more proactive, research-driven and intelligence-led in communicating government policies and the Service’s operations.
According to him, every Customs achievement, including seizures, trade facilitation initiatives, reforms and service delivery efforts, should be communicated professionally and purposefully to build public confidence.
Earlier, the Acting Zonal Coordinator, Zone ‘C’, Comptroller Pascal Chibuoke, described corporate communication as a strategic asset that shapes public perception, strengthens stakeholder confidence, promotes transparency and reinforces institutional legitimacy.
Also speaking, the National Public Relations Officer of the Service, Deputy Comptroller Abdullahi Maiwada, said the conference marked another milestone in the evolution of Customs corporate communication, building on the successes of previous editions held in Lagos, Gwagwalada and Kano.
Maiwada noted that the gathering was designed to develop practical solutions, strengthen professional networks and reposition public relations as a strategic corporate communication function within the Nigeria Customs Service.
In her closing remarks, the Customs Area Controller, Port Harcourt Area I Command, Comptroller Salamatu Atuluku, commended the Comptroller-General for his sustained investment in professional development and capacity building, urging participants to apply the knowledge gained to improve service delivery across their respective commands.
Goodwill messages were delivered by the President of the Nigeria Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Ike Neliaku, and the President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Alhassan Yahaya, who both applauded Adeniyi’s commitment to institutionalising strategic communication within the Service while urging Customs spokespersons to uphold the highest standards of professionalism.
The conference featured technical sessions on Customs modernisation, crisis communication, media intelligence, digital innovation, stakeholder engagement and emerging communication technologies aimed at strengthening the Service’s communication architecture.
