The Nigeria Customs Service, NCS has underscored the importance of strategic communication in driving institutional reforms, improving trade facilitation, boosting revenue generation and strengthening stakeholder engagement, with its B’Odogwu digital modernisation platform cited as a key example.
The National Public Relations Officer of the Service, Deputy Comptroller of Customs Abdullahi Maiwada, stated this on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, while representing the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, at the 13th Annual Conference of the Association of Communication Scholars and Professionals of Nigeria (ACSPN) at the National Open University of Nigeria, Abuja.
Maiwada said effective communication was essential to the success of Customs reforms, noting that technological and institutional changes could not deliver their intended impact without clear engagement with stakeholders.
“Our critical role in trade facilitation, revenue generation and anti-smuggling cannot be effective without effective communication,” he said.
He said the NCS was deploying technology and innovative approaches to improve its operations, identifying B’Odogwu as a major component of the Service’s digital transformation agenda and an innovative trade model attracting attention beyond Nigeria.
Maiwada also highlighted the Service’s “Town and Gown” initiative, which seeks to strengthen the connection between academic research and professional communication practice. He said the initiative had commenced at Bayero University, Kano, and in Port Harcourt, with plans to expand the involvement of academia in Customs engagements in 2027.
According to him, deeper collaboration with communication scholars and professionals would give the NCS access to contemporary research, professional expertise and emerging communication technologies, while enabling universities to gain practical insights into Customs operations and institutional communication.
The conference brought together communication scholars, professionals and institutional stakeholders to examine the changing communication landscape and the impact of emerging technologies on democracy and electoral processes ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In his opening remarks, ACSPN President, Professor Rotimi Olatunji, stressed the importance of informed citizens, credible media and transparent institutions to the sustenance of constitutional democracy.
A keynote presentation delivered on behalf of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Sani Adam, also highlighted emerging threats to electoral communication, including deepfakes, AI-generated content and candidate impersonation.
The Customs Service’s participation followed an earlier meeting on August 31, 2026, when the Service hosted the ACSPN leadership at its National Headquarters in Abuja to discuss collaboration in digital communication, media engagement, professional development and stronger links between academia and the NCS.
The conference subsequently featured technical sessions on electoral communication and challenges posed by the digital age before concluding with a dinner and award ceremony recognising contributions to communication scholarship and professional practice.