Customs ends 13-year wait, inducts 70 PR Officers to deepen communication reform
Maureen Aguta
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has taken a major step towards strengthening its strategic communication capacity with the induction of 70 of its Public Relations officers into the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), the first mass induction of Customs communication personnel in 13 years.
The induction ceremony, held on Monday at the Service Headquarters in Maitama, Abuja, signals the agency’s renewed commitment to professionalising its public relations workforce as it intensifies reforms aimed at modernising Customs administration and improving stakeholder engagement.
Speaking at the event, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, described the exercise as a strategic investment in the future of the Service’s communication system, stressing that effective public communication has become indispensable to sustaining institutional reforms.
According to him, the Customs Service’s transformation, which recently earned it recognition as Nigeria’s top-performing government agency in ease of doing business, was driven by deliberate reforms that must be effectively communicated by competent professionals.
Adeniyi said the transition to a technology-driven Customs administration places greater responsibility on Public Relations practitioners to counter misinformation, shape public perception and sustain stakeholders’ confidence in the Service.
“Rumours will be heard and narratives will be pushed. You must therefore be prepared to communicate with clarity and respond swiftly and decisively to misinformation,” he charged the newly inducted officers.
The Customs boss also disclosed that the Service’s flagship Corporate Social Responsibility initiative, Customs Cares, is set to receive international recognition at the forthcoming Commonwealth Games, describing the programme as a legacy project whose impact should continue to be amplified through ethical and strategic communication.
President and Chairman of the NIPR Council, Dr. Ike Neliaku, commended the Customs Service for investing in certified communication professionals, saying the agency had evolved into one of Nigeria’s most respected public institutions under Adeniyi’s leadership.
He noted that the Service’s ongoing reforms, corporate governance standards and growing influence in the global Customs community had significantly enhanced its public image.
“You can no longer dismiss issues concerning the Nigeria Customs Service.
Every Nigerian should be proud of what the Service has become,” Neliaku said.
Former National Public Relations Officer of the Service and retired Comptroller of Customs, Joseph Attah, urged the newly inducted members to uphold the ethics of the profession by ensuring accuracy, truthfulness and responsibility in all official communications.
He also encouraged continuous professional development through seminars, workshops and active participation in NIPR programmes, noting that successful crisis communication requires professionalism, empathy and strategic thinking.
Earlier, the National Public Relations Officer of the Service, Deputy Comptroller Aliyu Maiwada, attributed the milestone to the unwavering support of the Comptroller-General and the foundation laid by former Customs spokespersons who nurtured the Public Relations Unit over the years.
The induction of the 70 officers is expected to further strengthen the Nigeria Customs Service’s ongoing institutional reforms by building a professional communications team capable of effectively projecting the agency’s achievements, managing public perception and enhancing stakeholder confidence.