By Bon Peters
PORT HARCOURT/Nigeria: The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has reaffirmed the importance of strategic communication and media collaboration in achieving its mandate, using the opening of its 2026 Public Relations Conference to call for greater partnership with journalists in promoting transparency, trade facilitation and national development.
The four-day conference, which opened in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, brought together Customs public relations officers from commands across the country, alongside journalists and media executives from the South-South and South-East regions. The event is themed “Realigning Corporate Communication as a Strategic Driver of Institutional Effectiveness and Public Trust.”
Rather than focusing solely on internal communication, the opening session centred on the role of the media in shaping public understanding of Customs operations, government policies and trade regulations, with speakers stressing the need for factual, balanced and responsible reporting.
Representing the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, the Coordinator of Zone C Headquarters, Acting Assistant Comptroller-General Pascal Chibuoke, described the engagement with journalists as a deliberate effort to deepen collaboration between the Service and the media.
He said the Customs Service recognises the press as a critical stakeholder in promoting transparency and accountability, noting that objective reporting contributes to public confidence in government institutions.
Chibuoke added that the approval of the conference by the Comptroller-General reflects the Service’s commitment to openness and sustained engagement with stakeholders.
The National Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Customs Service, Assistant Comptroller Abdullahi Aliyu Maiwada, said the media remains an indispensable partner in communicating Customs reforms, trade policies and operational activities to businesses and the wider public.
According to him, the media parley was designed to encourage open dialogue, strengthen professional relationships and explore new ways of improving public awareness of Customs activities.
“We see the media as a strategic partner in communicating government policies, Customs procedures and trade regulations. Our goal is to build stronger collaboration that supports national development while ensuring the public receives accurate and balanced information,” Maiwada said.
He urged journalists covering the maritime and business sectors to continue providing factual reports capable of promoting public understanding of the Service’s responsibilities while helping to address misconceptions surrounding its operations.
Chairman of the Local Organising Committee, Chief Superintendent of Customs Emmanuel Tangwa, said the conference reflects the Service’s growing recognition that effective public communication has become essential to modern public administration.
He noted that Customs public relations officers now play broader roles in supporting national security, revenue generation, trade facilitation and stakeholder engagement, adding that transparency has become an operational necessity in an era of instant information.
Tangwa also described Port Harcourt as an appropriate host city, citing its strategic position as one of Nigeria’s major maritime and commercial hubs.
The Customs Area Controller of Area I Command, Port Harcourt, Comptroller Salamatu Atuluku, said public trust can only be sustained through professionalism, openness and accurate communication.
She observed that both public institutions and the media share a responsibility to ensure that information reaching citizens is credible and balanced, particularly at a time when misinformation spreads rapidly across digital platforms.
Representatives of maritime journalists and the Rivers State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) welcomed the initiative, describing regular engagement between the Customs Service and the media as essential for improving public understanding of the agency’s activities and reforms.
The opening session concluded with an interactive discussion during which journalists sought clarification on operational procedures, trade regulations and enforcement activities, with senior Customs officers responding to questions raised by participants.
The conference, which continues until Friday, is expected to feature technical sessions on corporate communication, public perception, stakeholder engagement and emerging strategies for strengthening institutional trust within the Nigeria Customs Service.
