Nigerian Customs Seeks Stronger Media Partnership

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has called for stronger collaboration with the media to enhance public trust, promote transparency, and support ongoing reforms aimed at boosting trade facilitation, border security and national economic development.

The Service made the call yesterday at a press conference held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, ahead of its 2026 Public Relations Week with the theme: ‘Realigning Corporate Communication as a Strategic Driver of Institutional Effectiveness and Public Trust’.

Speaking at the event, the National Public Relations Officer of the NCS, Deputy Comptroller of Customs, Abdullahi Maiwada, said trust remains the foundation upon which the Service operates, stressing that the media plays a strategic role in shaping public perception and communicating government policies to citizens.

Maiwada, who is the host for the event, thanked journalists for their continued support and described the media as a critical partner in nation-building rather than a mere observer of government activities.

“Effective communication, transparency and strategic collaboration are essential ingredients for institutional growth and national development,” he said.

According to him, the Nigeria Customs Service has embarked on major reforms in innovation and trade facilitation, noting that such initiatives cannot succeed without accurate, timely and responsible dissemination of information by the media.

“The media serves as the bridge through which government policies, customs procedures, trade regulations and enforcement activities are communicated to stakeholders and the general public. This can only be achieved through balanced reportage,” he stated.

Maiwada urged journalists to sustain constructive engagement with the Service to promote public awareness, support economic growth, enhance border security and advance the federal government’s broader development objectives.

Earlier, the Chairman of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for PR Week 2026, Chief Superintendent of Customs (CSC) Emmanuel Tangwa, described the media parley as a strategic platform designed to strengthen transparency, professionalism and stakeholder engagement.

He said the gathering underscored the Service’s commitment to accountability and open communication at a time when information spreads rapidly and public confidence depends largely on credible and factual reporting.

Tangwa noted that the event was historic as it was the first strategic media engagement hosted by the National Public Relations Office for the South-east and South-south geopolitical zones.

He said Port Harcourt was deliberately chosen because of its strategic position as one of Nigeria’s foremost maritime and commercial hubs, adding that the region remains critical to international trade, maritime security and the nation’s economic prosperity.

The LOC chairman also commended Deputy Comptroller Maiwada for what he described as exceptional leadership in repositioning the Public Relations Unit through proactive communication, stakeholders’ engagement, and institutional transparency.

He urged journalists to continue promoting factual, balanced and development-oriented reporting capable of strengthening public confidence in the Nigeria Customs Service.

Also speaking, the Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Rivers State Council, Paul Bazia, pledged the support of journalists to the Service’s efforts at promoting transparency and national development.

Bazia said the Rivers NUJ had shifted its focus from crisis reporting to development journalism, stressing that strategic communication must be anchored on truth, openness, and mutual understanding.

“Our responsibility is to communicate truth and be transparent so that we can build and sustain trust,” he said.

He assured the Nigeria Customs Service of the media’s commitment to ensuring timely, accurate and responsible dissemination of information, noting that journalists and the Service complement each other in advancing national development.