Customs boss urges PR officers to strengthen public trust
July 26, 2026 7:00 pm
L-R: NUJ President Alhassan Yahya, NIPR President Ike Neliaku, and Customs boss Adewale Adeniyi. Photo: NCS
The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Adewale Adeniyi, has urged Public Relations Officers of the Service to embrace strategic and impactful communication to strengthen public trust, support ongoing reforms and enhance the institution’s credibility.
This was contained in a statement issued on Sunday after 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 institutional effectiveness.
Speaking at the event, Adeniyi said communication had become central to the success of public institutions, stressing that reforms could only succeed when they were properly understood and accepted by the public.
“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 noted that the rise of digital media, artificial intelligence and real-time information required a more proactive, research-driven and intelligence-led approach to communication by Customs spokespersons.
“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 capable of shaping public perception and strengthening stakeholder confidence.
“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.
The National Public Relations Officer of the Service, Deputy Comptroller Abdullahi Maiwada, said the conference marked another milestone in the evolution of the Service’s corporate communication strategy, building on previous editions held in Lagos, Gwagwalada and Kano.
According to him, the conference was designed to provide practical solutions that would reposition public relations as a strategic corporate communication function within the 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 prioritising professional development and institutional capacity building.
She urged participants to apply the knowledge gained during the conference to improve service delivery across their various commands.
Also speaking, the President of the Nigeria Institute of Public Relations, Ike Neliaku, and the President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Alhassan Yahya, praised Adeniyi’s leadership in institutionalising strategic communication within the Nigeria Customs Service and encouraged Public Relations Officers 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.
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