By Benson Daniel
The Nigeria Customs Service has agreed to deepen its partnership with communication scholars and professionals as part of efforts to strengthen public engagement, digital communication and professional development within the Service.
The commitment followed a meeting between the NCS and executives of the Association of Communication Scholars and Professionals of Nigeria during a visit to the Customs headquarters.
Receiving the delegation on behalf of the Comptroller General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, the National Public Relations Officer of the Service, Deputy Comptroller Abdullahi Maiwada, stressed the importance of effective communication to the success of institutional reforms.
Maiwada said the Customs Service had continued to expand its communication channels through its monthly newsletter, social media platforms and the use of data analytics to improve engagement with stakeholders.
He noted that reforms within public institutions could only achieve their intended objectives when properly communicated to the people affected by them.
The Customs spokesman also highlighted the Service’s growing relationship with the creative industry, pointing to its production of the movie Beyond the Badge and the 79 episode series Novera.
According to him, the projects have provided an additional avenue for the Service to communicate its activities while generating revenue and creating employment opportunities within the creative sector.
Maiwada further disclosed plans to expand the Nigeria Customs Broadcasting Network to Lagos, a move expected to broaden the Service’s media reach and strengthen its capacity to communicate with stakeholders across the country.
He also revealed that the NCS was considering corporate membership of ACSPN and would encourage its public relations officers to join the association as part of efforts to promote professional development and knowledge sharing.
Responding, the President of ACSPN, Professor Rotimi Olatunji, welcomed the proposed partnership and commended the Customs management for its communication initiatives.
Olatunji said the association was prepared to support Customs personnel interested in pursuing higher academic and professional qualifications.
He also called for closer cooperation between communication scholars and media practitioners, particularly as the spread of misinformation, disinformation and artificial intelligence generated content creates new challenges for public communication.
The ACSPN president urged media organisations to strengthen fact checking mechanisms and promote fact based public discourse, especially ahead of increasing digital political and electoral communication.
The collaboration comes as government institutions face growing pressure to communicate reforms more clearly in an environment where information moves rapidly across social media and other digital platforms.
For the Customs Service, stronger engagement with communication professionals could help improve public understanding of its policies, trade facilitation initiatives, revenue measures and enforcement activities.
The proposed partnership also reflects the growing importance of professional communication in building public trust around institutional reforms.
The two organisations also announced the 2026 ACSPN National Conference, which will focus on media, technology and elections in Africa and the challenges created by digital disruption.
The visit ended with a tour of key facilities at the Customs headquarters, including the Information and Communication Technology and Modernisation Department and the Nigeria Customs Broadcasting Network studios.
The partnership is expected to provide a broader platform for knowledge exchange while strengthening the capacity of both communication professionals and Customs personnel to respond to the changing demands of digital media.
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