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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Economy & Trade

Customs boss urges PR officers to strengthen public trust

From The Punch · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Nigeria Customs Service Comptroller-General Adewale Adeniyi urged Public Relations Officers to use strategic communication to build public trust and support reforms.
  • The call came during a four-day conference in Port Harcourt themed on repositioning corporate communication for institutional effectiveness.
  • Adeniyi emphasized the need for proactive, research-driven communication in the digital age, stating reforms succeed only when understood and accepted by the public.

Nigeria Customs Service Comptroller-General Adewale Adeniyi has called on the service's Public Relations Officers to adopt strategic and impactful communication methods. The goal is to strengthen public trust, bolster ongoing reforms, and enhance the institution's overall credibility.

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.

— Adewale AdeniyiSpeaking at the Nigeria Customs Service Public Relations Conference on the importance of communication in institutional success.

Adeniyi's remarks were made at the closing of the 2026 Nigeria Customs Service Public Relations Conference in Port Harcourt. The four-day event focused on "Realigning Corporate Communication as a Strategic Driver of Institutional Effectiveness and Public Trust." He highlighted that effective communication is crucial for the success of public institutions, noting that reforms require public understanding and acceptance.

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

— Adewale AdeniyiHighlighting the need for professional and purposeful communication of customs activities.

"Around the world, communication has evolved from a support service into a strategic management function," Adeniyi stated. "Reforms cannot succeed unless they are understood, accepted and trusted by the people they are designed to serve." He also stressed the importance of a proactive, research-driven, and intelligence-led approach to communication by Customs spokespersons, especially given the rise of digital media and artificial intelligence.

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.

— Pascal ChibuokeDescribing the role of corporate communication in shaping public perception and institutional legitimacy.

The Acting Zonal Coordinator, Comptroller Pascal Chibuoke, echoed these sentiments, describing corporate communication as a strategic asset that shapes public perception and builds stakeholder confidence. Deputy Comptroller Abdullahi Maiwada, the National Public Relations Officer, noted that the conference was a milestone in evolving the Service's communication strategy, aiming to develop practical solutions and reposition public relations as a strategic function within the Nigeria Customs 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.

— Abdullahi MaiwadaOn the purpose of the Public Relations conference and the role of communication in institutional reforms.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Punch. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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