The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, has challenged Public Relations Officers (PROs) of the Service to adopt strategic and intelligence-driven communication to support ongoing reforms, strengthen institutional credibility and deepen public confidence.
Adeniyi gave the charge at the closing ceremony of the 2026 Nigeria Customs Service Public Relations Conference held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, after four days of deliberations on enhancing corporate communication as a tool for institutional effectiveness.
The conference, themed "Realigning Corporate Communication as a Strategic Driver of Institutional Effectiveness and Public Trust," brought together Customs spokespersons from across the country to discuss emerging communication trends, media engagement and strategies for supporting the Service's reform agenda.
Addressing participants, the Comptroller-General said communication has become a core management function that plays a critical role in the success of institutional reforms.
He noted that as the information landscape continues to evolve with digital media, artificial intelligence and real-time news dissemination, Customs spokespersons must become more proactive, research-driven and strategic in communicating the Service's activities.
"Around 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 added that every achievement of the Service must be communicated professionally to strengthen public understanding and confidence.
"Every seizure, every reform, every trade facilitation initiative and every act of service must be communicated professionally and purposefully," he stated.
Earlier, the Acting Zonal Coordinator of Zone 'C', Comptroller Pascal Chibuoke, described corporate communication as a strategic asset that promotes transparency, strengthens stakeholder confidence and reinforces institutional legitimacy.
"Corporate communication is no longer a support function. It is a strategic asset that shapes public perception, strengthens stakeholder confidence, promotes transparency and reinforces institutional legitimacy," Chibuoke said.
Also speaking, the National Public Relations Officer of the Service, Deputy Comptroller Abdullahi Maiwada, said the 2026 conference marked another milestone in the evolution of Customs corporate communication, building on the gains recorded in previous editions held in Lagos, Gwagwalada and Kano.
According to him, the conference was designed to develop practical solutions, strengthen professional networks and reposition public relations as a strategic corporate communication function within the Nigeria Customs Service.
"Institutional reforms cannot succeed without an effective communication framework. This conference was designed not merely to exchange ideas but to develop practical solutions, strengthen professional networks and reposition Public Relations as a strategic corporate communication function within the Nigeria Customs Service," Maiwada said.
In her closing remarks, the Customs Area Controller of Port Harcourt Area I Command, Comptroller Salamatu Atuluku, commended the Comptroller-General for sustaining investments in capacity building and urged participants to apply the knowledge acquired during the conference to improve service delivery in their respective commands.
Goodwill messages were delivered by the President of the Nigeria Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Dr. Ike Neliaku, and the President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Alhassan Yahaya, who praised Adeniyi's leadership in institutionalising strategic communication within the Service and encouraged Customs spokespersons to uphold professionalism and ethical standards.
The conference featured technical sessions on Customs modernisation, crisis communication, digital innovation, media intelligence, stakeholder engagement and emerging communication technologies as part of efforts to strengthen the Service's communication architecture and improve public trust.
Tags
BUSINESS