By Vicky Attah, Correspondent
The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, has called for a stronger and more strategic approach to corporate communication within the Service, urging Public Relations Officers to deploy intelligence-driven communication in explaining its reforms, operations and achievements to the public.
Adeniyi made the call in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, at the closing of the 2026 NCS Public Relations Conference, a four-day event focused on strengthening communication as a tool for institutional effectiveness.
He said the changing information environment, driven by digital media, artificial intelligence and the demand for real-time information, required Customs PROs to become more proactive, research-driven and strategic in their engagements with the public.
The Comptroller-General said effective communication was essential to the success of public sector reforms because policies and institutional changes could not achieve their intended results without public understanding, acceptance and trust.
“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 urged the PROs to ensure that the Service’s achievements were communicated in a manner that informed the public and reinforced confidence in the institution.
“Every seizure, every reform, every trade facilitation initiative, and every act of service must be communicated professionally and purposefully,” he added.
Also speaking, the Acting Zonal Coordinator of Zone ‘C’, Comptroller Pascal Chibuoke, said effective corporate communication could influence public perception, enhance stakeholder confidence and promote transparency within an institution.
“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 represented another step in the development of Customs’ corporate communication framework.
Maiwada said the event built on previous editions held in Lagos, Gwagwalada and Kano, adding that it was designed to produce practical solutions, strengthen professional networks and give public relations a more strategic role 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,” he said.
The Customs Area Controller of Port Harcourt Area I Command, Comptroller Salamatu Atuluku, in her closing remarks, commended Adeniyi for prioritising professional development and capacity building within the Service.
She urged participants to translate the knowledge acquired at the conference into improved performance and service delivery across their respective commands.
In separate goodwill messages, the President of the Nigeria Institute of Public Relations, Dr. Ike Neliaku, and his Nigeria Union of Journalists counterpart, Alhassan Yahaya, commended the Customs leadership for giving strategic communication greater prominence within the Service.
They also urged the PROs to maintain professional and ethical standards while engaging the media, stakeholders and the wider public.
The conference, themed “Realigning Corporate Communication as a Strategic Driver of Institutional Effectiveness and Public Trust,” featured sessions on Customs modernisation, crisis communication, media intelligence, digital innovation, stakeholder engagement and emerging communication architecture
