Customs Links Reform Success to Strategic Communication, Backs 2026 World PR Forum

By Stella Okocha

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has identified strategic communication and stakeholder engagement as critical to the successful implementation of its ongoing reforms, as it pledged support for the 2026 World Public Relations Forum (WPRF) scheduled for Abuja in November.

The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, made the position known on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, when a delegation from the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management and the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) visited him at the Customs House in Maitama, Abuja.

The delegation was led by the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Global Alliance, Professor Justin Green, and the President and Chairman of Council of the NIPR, Ike Neliaku.

Adeniyi said effective communication had become increasingly important to the success of institutional reforms, particularly in building understanding, trust and cooperation among stakeholders.

He cited some of the Service’s major initiatives, including B’Odogwu, the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) programme and Advance Ruling, as reforms designed to improve Customs processes, provide greater predictability for legitimate businesses and strengthen engagement between the Service and the trading community.

According to him, communicating the objectives and benefits of such reforms is as important as implementing them, particularly where institutional changes affect businesses and other stakeholders.

“The Nigeria Customs Service recognised the importance of the World Public Relations Forum and its potential to bring global attention to responsible communication, institutional trust and effective public service,” Adeniyi said.

He assured the organisers of the Service’s support for the forum and its contribution to ensuring a successful international gathering.

Speaking on the significance of the 2026 forum, Green described Nigeria’s hosting of the WPRF as an important milestone for the country and the public relations profession across Africa.

He said the forum would bring together communication professionals from across the world and provide Nigeria with an opportunity to showcase its cultural heritage, communication industry and emerging approaches to public relations.

Green added that the event would facilitate knowledge-sharing, professional collaboration and discussions on the future direction of global communication.

“We are expecting all the 126 member countries of the Global Alliance to grace this forum,” he said.

The NIPR President, Neliaku, said the Institute was engaging government institutions, professional bodies and other stakeholders ahead of the event because their participation would be crucial to the success of the global gathering.

He said the Institute was targeting an event that would demonstrate Nigeria’s capacity to host major international professional engagements.

Neliaku disclosed that the World Public Relations Forum would take place in Abuja from November 15 to 21, 2026, under the theme, “Responsible Communication: The Voice of the World.”

The forum is expected to provide a platform for global practitioners and stakeholders to examine the evolving role of public relations in building institutional trust, shaping public dialogue and supporting responsible communication in an increasingly complex information environment.

For the Nigeria Customs Service, the engagement also provides an opportunity to underscore the growing role of communication in driving public understanding and stakeholder confidence in the implementation of its reform agenda.