The Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Mr. Bashir Adeniyi, says the service will leverage public relations platforms to drive its policies and innovations.
The CG Customs, while speaking at the Service’s 2024 Public Relations Conference in Abuja, with the theme: ‘Navigating the Horizon: The Evolving Paradigm Shift in the Public Relations Activities of the Nigeria Customs Service,’ said its collaboration with the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations will boost trade facilitation and accountability in its communication to Nigerians.
Adeniyi emphasized that the Nigeria Customs Service will continue to partner with the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) to deliver its various developmental initiatives.
‘We have to align what we do with the objectives of the President and the federal government in carrying out our mandate and effective communication because that is the only way Nigerians will know and understand what we are doing. There is a need for continuous innovation a
nd capacity building for officers of the Service as Public Relations is evolving in a technologically advanced world,’ he said.
Underscoring the critical role of public relations in advancing organizational goals and maintaining its image, the National Public Relations Officer of NCS, Abdullahi Maiwada, stated that effective communication is necessary to drive the transformative journey of the Customs in its mandate, especially at a time when the country requires trade facilitation and revenue generation.
The NIPR President, Dr. Ike Neliaku, commended the leadership of NCS for its quality investment in the Public Relations Department of the Service and announced the establishment of a yearly Alex Akinyele Prize for Excellence for the best Public Relations Officer of the Service.
He said that the Council decided to recognize the contributions of the Nigeria Customs in the development of the Public Relations profession in Nigeria, noting that the late Alex Akinyele, a former Minister of Information and a for
mer Officer of the Customs, was instrumental in giving the NIPR an enviable status in the Nigerian Constitution.
The Director General of Voice of Nigeria, Jibrin Baba- Ndace who lauded the Nigeria Customs Service for supporting the Nigerian economy through its revenue generation, said the platform is ready to tell the NCS story most truthfully and compellingly to enhance compliance with its extant laws and promote its services.
‘Voice of Nigeria is the only public media institution that broadcasts in eight languages. Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, and Fulfude, and of course, English, naturally, because it’s our national language, French, Arabic, and Swahili. And looking at the global trend, we are also working with the Chinese government to start broadcasting in Mandarin, and also Portuguese, and other international languages. So please let us continue to support Nigerian Customs,’ he said.
Source: Voice of Nigeria