By Atiku Sarki, Abuja
The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Adewale Adeniyi, has charged Public Relations Officers (PROs) of the Service to move beyond conventional media engagement and embrace strategic communication as a key tool for driving reforms, strengthening institutional credibility and sustaining public trust.
Adeniyi gave the charge on Friday during the closing ceremony of the 2026 Nigeria Customs Service Public Relations Conference held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The four-day conference focused on repositioning corporate communication as a strategic management tool for enhancing institutional effectiveness.
According to a statement issued in Abuja, the Comptroller-General described the conference as a valuable platform for reflection, learning and institutional renewal at a defining stage of the Service’s transformation agenda.
“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 noted that the rapid growth of digital media, artificial intelligence and real-time information has made it imperative for Customs spokespersons to become more proactive, research-driven and intelligence-led in communicating government policies and the activities of the Service.
“Every seizure, every reform, every trade facilitation initiative and every act of service must be communicated professionally and purposefully,” he added.
Earlier, the Acting Zonal Coordinator of 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.
“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 stated.
Also speaking, the National Public Relations Officer of the Service, Deputy Comptroller Abdullahi Maiwada, described this year’s conference as another milestone in the evolution of Customs corporate communication.
He said the event built on the successes of previous editions held in Lagos, Gwagwalada and Kano.
According to Maiwada, effective communication remains indispensable to the success of institutional reforms.
“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,” he said.
In her closing remarks, the Customs Area Controller of Port Harcourt Area I Command, Comptroller Salamatu Atuluku, commended the Comptroller-General for his sustained investment in professional development and institutional capacity building.
She urged participants to apply the knowledge gained at the conference to improve service delivery across their respective commands.
In separate goodwill messages, the President of the Nigeria Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Ike Neliaku, and the President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Alhassan Yahaya, praised Adeniyi’s leadership in institutionalising strategic communication within the Nigeria Customs Service.
They also urged Public Relations Officers to uphold the highest standards of professionalism.
The conference, themed “Realigning Corporate Communication as a Strategic Driver of Institutional Effectiveness and Public Trust,” 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.
