Customs Reforms Must Be Backed By Strategic Communication – CG

The Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, has said reforms within the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) can only succeed when they are supported by effective and strategic communication that promotes public understanding, acceptance and trust.

Adeniyi stated this at the closing ceremony of the 2026 Nigeria Customs Service Public Relations Conference held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where he urged Public Relations Officers across the Service to move beyond conventional media engagement and embrace strategic communication as a key driver of institutional reforms.

The four-day conference, which ended on Friday, focused on repositioning corporate communication as a strategic management tool for institutional effectiveness.

According to the CGC, the conference offered an opportunity for reflection, learning and institutional renewal at a critical stage in the Service’s transformation agenda.

“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 stressed that the increasing influence of digital media, artificial intelligence and real-time information demands a more proactive, research-driven and intelligence-led approach to communication by Customs spokespersons.

He added, “Every seizure, every reform, every trade facilitation initiative and every act of service must be communicated professionally and purposefully.”

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.

“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.

The National Public Relations Officer of the Service, Deputy Comptroller Abdullahi Maiwada, said this year’s conference marked another milestone in the evolution of Customs corporate communication, building on the successes of previous editions held in Lagos, Gwagwalada and Kano.

According to him, “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.”

In her closing remarks, the Customs Area Controller, Port Harcourt Area I Command, Comptroller Salamatu Atuluku, commended the Comptroller-General for sustaining investments in professional development and institutional capacity building.

She urged participants to apply the knowledge gained during 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, applauded Adeniyi’s leadership in institutionalising strategic communication within the Nigeria Customs Service and challenged Public Relations Officers to uphold the highest professional standards.

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 evolving communication technologies aimed at strengthening the Service’s communication architecture.