The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Adewale Adeniyi, has received a Special Award of Excellence at the 2026 International Public Relations Association (IPRA) Golden World Awards held in Athens, Greece.
Adeniyi received the recognition on Friday, September 25, 2026, for the Customs Service’s strategic approach to communication, stakeholder engagement and ethical public relations in support of its ongoing reforms.
The award recognised efforts by the NCS to promote transparent communication and improve public understanding of reforms focused on modernising Customs operations, facilitating trade and strengthening institutional transparency.
Speaking after receiving the award, Adeniyi said the recognition represented international acknowledgement of the reform initiatives being implemented by the Service.
He said the honour would also encourage the NCS to expand its use of emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), in public communication and stakeholder engagement.
“We have started using AI tools in our public communication, and we view this recognition as an invitation to do more,” Adeniyi said.
He expressed optimism that the NCS and other Nigerian government agencies would gain greater visibility at international communication awards in the coming years.
Adeniyi also stressed the importance of effective communication to the success of government reforms, noting that citizens and stakeholders needed to understand the objectives, challenges and expected benefits of policy initiatives.
According to him, the NCS reform agenda is aligned with the economic policies of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, particularly measures aimed at improving Nigeria’s trade competitiveness, facilitating exports and strengthening the country’s participation in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The Customs boss also congratulated Nigeria on winning the IPRA Grand Prix, which was awarded to Image Merchants Promotion Limited (IMPR), publishers of PRNigeria and Economic Confidential, for its campaign, AI for Crisis Communication: From Study to Strategy.
The campaign emerged from a research project led by IMPR Chief Executive Officer, Yushau Shuaib, in collaboration with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the Centre for Crisis Communication.
The research examined the growing challenges posed by AI-driven misinformation, deepfakes and digital information disorder, subsequently translating the findings into a strategic communication initiative.
Earlier, IPRA President Esther Cobbah said the return of the association to Athens was significant because the city was where its Code of Conduct for public relations practice was developed 60 years ago.
Cobbah said the 2026 gathering provided an opportunity to celebrate individuals, agencies and organisations that had demonstrated excellence while upholding ethical communication principles.
“Sixty years ago, in Athens, we built the code of ethics for public relations practice. Today, we have come back to Athens to see how we have deployed those ethics in our work,” she said.
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