CGC Adeniyi Charges Customs Spokespersons to Strengthen Institutional Trust Through Impactful Communication

The Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, has charged Public Relations Officers of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to move beyond conventional media engagement and embrace impactful, strategic communication to drive reforms, strengthen institutional credibility and sustain public trust.

Adeniyi gave the charge on Friday, 24 July 2026, at the closing ceremony of the 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 strategic management tool for enhancing institutional effectiveness and public confidence.

While addressing the gathering, the CGC described the conference as a valuable platform for reflection, learning and institutional renewal at a defining moment in the Service’s transformation journey.

According to him, communication has evolved globally from a support function into a strategic management tool, stressing that reforms can only succeed when they are clearly understood, accepted and trusted by the people they are intended to serve.

“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,” the CGC said.

He added that 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.

His words, “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.

Also speaking, the National Public Relations Officer, Deputy Comptroller Abdullahi Maiwada, described this year’s conference as another milestone in the evolution of Customs corporate communication, noting that it builds on the successes of the previous editions held in Lagos, Gwagwalada and Kano.

To him, “Institutional reforms cannot succeed without an effective communication framework. This conference was designed not only to exchange ideas but also to develop practical solutions, strengthen professional networks and reposition Public Relations as a strategic corporate communication function within the Nigeria Customs Service”.

Delivering the 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 and insights gained during the conference to enhance 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 the Comptroller-General’s leadership in institutionalising strategic communication within the 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 as part of efforts to strengthen the Service’s communication architecture and support its ongoing reform agenda.