From right: Comptroller General, Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR, President of the Nigeria Institute of Public Relations NIPR, Dr. Ike Neliaku, and the President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists NUJ, Alhassan Yahaya at the Customs Conference in Port Harcourt at the weekend.

In line with efforts to boost effective public engagement in order to enhance the success of its several ongoing reforms and sustain public trust, the Nigeria Customs Service has urged its Public Relations Officers to embrace strategic and impactful communication.

Comptroller-General of the Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR, who made the call, insists that effective public engagement remains a critical factor to the success of the Service’s various ongoing reforms and the sustenance of public trust.

The CGC, who spoke at the closing ceremony of the 2026 Nigeria Customs Service Public Relations Conference, which held Friday, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Adeniyi argued that the role of Customs spokespersons must extend beyond routine media relations to shaping public understanding of the Service’s policies, reforms and achievements.

The focus of the four-day conference was on repositioning corporate communication as a strategic management tool for improving institutional effectiveness and supporting the Service’s modernisation agenda.

“This conference offers participants an opportunity to reflect, exchange ideas and strengthen the communication capacity of the Service at this crucial stage of its transformation journey.

“Communication has become a core management function globally, and so the success of any reform depends not only on implementation but also on public understanding, acceptance and confidence.

“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”, the CGC said.

According to him, the growing influence of digital media, artificial intelligence and real-time information requires Customs Public Relations Officers to become more proactive, research-driven and intelligence-led in communicating government policies and the Service’s operations.

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

Meanwhile, acting Zonal Coordinator, Zone ‘C’, Comptroller Pascal Chibuoke, who spoke earlier, described corporate communication as a strategic asset that shapes public perception, strengthens stakeholder confidence, promotes transparency and reinforces institutional legitimacy.

Comptroller Chibuoke argued that corporate communication is no longer a support function, rather It is a strategic asset that shapes public perception, strengthens stakeholder confidence, promotes transparency and reinforces institutional legitimacy.

National Public Relations Officer of the Service, Deputy Comptroller Abdullahi Maiwada, while speaking at the event. described this year’s conference as “another milestone in the evolution of Customs corporate communication.”

He noted that this year’s event built on the successes recorded in Lagos, Gwagwalada and Kano over the last three years.

Maiwada also noted that institutional reforms cannot succeed without an effective communication framework, adding that the 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.

Customs Area Controller, Port Harcourt Area I Command, Comptroller Salamatu Atuluku, who delivered the closing remarks, commended the Comptroller-General for sustaining investments in professional development and institutional capacity building, urging participants to apply the knowledge acquired to improve service delivery across their commands.

President of the Nigeria Institute of Public Relations NIPR, Dr. Ike Neliaku, and the President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Alhassan Yahaya, who delivered separate goodwill messages, lauded Adeniyi’s leadership in institutionalising strategic communication within the Service and challenged the Public Relations Officers to uphold high standards of the PR professions.

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 as part of efforts to shape the future of the Service’s communication architecture.