B’Odogwu: Customs bets on strategic communication to drive digital reforms
By Maureen Aguta
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has identified strategic communication as a critical pillar of its ongoing digital transformation, insisting that technology-driven reforms in trade facilitation, revenue collection and anti-smuggling operations cannot succeed without effective engagement with stakeholders.
The Service made the position known at the 13th Annual Conference of the Association of Communication Scholars and Professionals of Nigeria (ACSPN), held at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Abuja.
Speaking on behalf of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, the National Public Relations Officer of the NCS, Deputy Comptroller Abdullahi Maiwada, said effective communication was central to translating institutional reforms into tangible outcomes.
Maiwada said the Customs Service had increasingly deployed technology and innovative approaches to modernise its operations, stressing that such reforms must be properly communicated to ensure understanding, acceptance and effective implementation.
“Our critical role in trade facilitation, revenue generation and anti-smuggling cannot be effective without effective communication,” he said.
He cited B’Odogwu, the Service’s digital modernisation platform, as a major component of the Customs transformation agenda, describing it as an innovative trade model that was attracting attention beyond Nigeria.
According to him, the success of B’Odogwu and other technology-driven initiatives would depend not only on their technical capabilities but also on the ability of the Service to communicate their objectives, benefits and operational implications to importers, exporters, customs brokers, government agencies and other stakeholders.
Maiwada also highlighted the NCS “Town and Gown” initiative, which he said was designed to strengthen the connection between academic research and professional communication practice.
He disclosed that the initiative had already commenced at Bayero University, Kano, and in Port Harcourt, with plans to expand and deepen the involvement of academia in Customs communication and stakeholder engagement from 2027.
He said closer collaboration with communication scholars would expose the Service to contemporary research, professional expertise and emerging communication technologies, while allowing universities to gain practical knowledge of Customs operations and institutional communication.
The Customs spokesman’s presentation formed part of broader discussions at the conference on the rapidly changing communication landscape and its implications for democracy, elections and public institutions ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Opening the conference, ACSPN President, Professor Rotimi Olatunji, underscored the importance of informed citizens, credible media and transparent institutions in sustaining constitutional democracy.
A keynote presentation delivered on behalf of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Sani Adam, similarly raised concerns over emerging digital threats, including deepfakes, artificial intelligence-generated content and candidate impersonation.
The NCS engagement with ACSPN followed an earlier meeting on August 31, when the association’s leadership visited the Customs Service headquarters in Abuja.
The meeting explored areas of collaboration in digital communication, media engagement, professional development and stronger links between communication academia and the Customs Service.
The subsequent conference provided a platform for deeper discussions on electoral communication, emerging technologies and the challenges confronting communication professionals in the digital age, before concluding with a dinner and awards ceremony recognising outstanding contributions to communication scholarship and professional practice.