Customs Reform Efforts Earn CG Adeniyi Global Recognition in Athens
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has received international recognition for its strategic communication and stakeholder engagement efforts, with its Comptroller-General, Adewale Adeniyi, receiving a Special Award of Excellence at the 2026 International Public Relations Association (IPRA) Golden World Awards in Athens, Greece.
The award was presented on Friday, September 25, 2026, in recognition of the Service’s approach to transparent communication, stakeholder engagement and ethical public relations in supporting the implementation and public understanding of its ongoing reforms.
The reforms include initiatives focused on modernising Customs operations, improving trade facilitation and strengthening institutional transparency.
Receiving the award, CGC Adeniyi described the recognition as an international acknowledgement of the Nigeria Customs Service’s reform efforts.
He said the honour would encourage the Service to further adopt emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, in public communication and stakeholder engagement.
“We have started using AI tools in our public communication, and we view this recognition as an invitation to do more. By 2027, we hope the NCS and more Nigerian agencies will feature prominently among global award recipients,” Adeniyi said.
The Customs boss stressed the importance of effective communication to the success of government reforms, noting that citizens and stakeholders needed to understand the objectives of reforms, challenges associated with their implementation and the benefits expected from them.
According to him, the NCS reform agenda is aligned with the economic policies of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, particularly efforts to improve Nigeria’s trade competitiveness, facilitate exports and strengthen the country’s participation in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Adeniyi also celebrated Nigeria’s success at the IPRA Grand Prix, describing the achievement as evidence of the country’s growing participation in international strategic communication.
The Grand Prix was won by Image Merchants Promotion Limited (IMPR), publishers of PRNigeria and Economic Confidential, for its campaign titled “AI for Crisis Communication: From Study to Strategy.”
The campaign emerged from a research project led by IMPR Chief Executive Officer, Yushau Shuaib, in collaboration with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the Centre for Crisis Communication.
The research examined emerging challenges associated with artificial intelligence-driven misinformation, deepfakes and digital information disorder, and subsequently translated its findings into a strategic communication initiative.
Earlier, President of IPRA, Esther Cobbah, said the return of the association’s gathering to Athens was significant because the city was where IPRA developed its Code of Conduct for public relations practice 60 years ago.
Cobbah said the 2026 gathering provided an opportunity to celebrate individuals, agencies and organisations that had applied the principles of ethical communication while delivering excellence in their work.
“Sixty years ago, in Athens, we built the code of ethics for public relations practice. Today, we have come back to Athens to see how we have deployed those ethics in our work,” she said.
