Customs Pledges Stronger Media Partnership as PR Conference Opens in Port Harcourt

By Zainab Uzomah|Abuja

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has pledged to deepen its partnership with the media as part of efforts to strengthen public trust and improve understanding of its reforms and statutory responsibilities.

The commitment was made during a strategic media parley held ahead of the 2026 Nigeria Customs Service Public Relations Conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Tuesday, 21 July 2026.

Declaring the parley open on behalf of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, the Zonal Coordinator, Zone ‘C’, Acting Assistant Comptroller-General Pascal Chibuoke, welcomed journalists and other participants from the South-East and South-South zones.

Chibuoke urged participants to take advantage of the conference to deepen their understanding of the Service’s operations, including trade facilitation, border security, anti-smuggling activities and its contribution to national economic development.

He said effective communication was essential to projecting the activities of the Customs Service and improving public understanding of its responsibilities.

In his remarks, the National Public Relations Officer of the NCS, Deputy Comptroller Abdullahi Maiwada, described journalists as critical partners in nation-building, stressing that public understanding and trust were essential to the success of reforms being implemented by the Service.

“The reforms and innovations we are driving in the Nigeria Customs Service cannot succeed in isolation without public understanding and trust,” Maiwada said.

The Customs Area Controller of Port Harcourt Area I Command, Comptroller Salamatu Atuluku, described the theme of the conference, “Realigning Corporate Communication as a Strategic Driver of Institutional Effectiveness and Public Trust,” as timely.

Atuluku commended the Comptroller-General for promoting a communication culture that has strengthened engagement between the Service and the public. She also praised Maiwada for consolidating efforts to improve the agency’s public communication.

Earlier, Chairman of the Local Organising Committee, Chief Superintendent of Customs Emmanuel Tangwa, said the decision to hold the conference in Port Harcourt reflected the strategic importance of the South-South region to Nigeria’s economy.

According to him, the engagement provides an opportunity for the Service to highlight its achievements, explain its policies and address misconceptions about its operations.

Also speaking, Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Rivers State Council, Paul Bazia, commended the Customs Service for maintaining an open relationship with journalists.

Bazia said transparency and timely access to accurate information were crucial to building public confidence, assuring that journalists in Rivers State would continue to work with the Service to ensure responsible and accurate dissemination of information.

The conference is expected to focus on strengthening corporate communication within the Nigeria Customs Service and positioning communication as a key tool for improving institutional effectiveness and public trust.