The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has received international recognition for its strategic communication and stakeholder engagement efforts, with the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir 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 advancing its ongoing reform programme.
The recognition also highlights the NCS’s efforts to communicate reforms aimed at modernising Customs operations, improving trade facilitation and strengthening institutional transparency.
Receiving the award, CGC Adeniyi described the honour as an international acknowledgement of the reform efforts of the Nigeria Customs Service, saying it would encourage the Service to deepen its adoption of 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,” he said.
According to the Customs helmsman, effective communication remains critical to the success of government reforms, as citizens and stakeholders need to understand the objectives of reforms, implementation challenges and expected benefits.
He said the NCS reform agenda aligns 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).
CGC Adeniyi also congratulated Nigeria on winning the IPRA Grand Prix, describing the achievement as an indication of the country’s growing participation in international strategic communication.
The Grand Prix was awarded to Image Merchants Promotion Limited (IMPR), publishers of PRNigeria and Economic Confidential, for its campaign, “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 project examined emerging challenges associated with artificial intelligence, including misinformation, deepfakes and digital information disorder, and subsequently translated its findings into a strategic communication initiative.
Earlier, in her welcome remarks, IPRA President Esther Cobbah highlighted the significance of returning to Athens for the 2026 gathering, noting that the city was where the association developed its Code of Conduct for public relations practice 60 years ago.
She said the occasion 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,” Cobbah said.
The recognition adds to the growing international attention on Nigeria’s public relations and strategic communication landscape, while underscoring the increasing role of technology and ethical communication in communicating public-sector reforms.
One Comment