By Peace Udugba -The Daily Torch Media
The Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, has been honoured with a Special Award of Excellence at the 2026 International Public Relations Association (IPRA) Golden World Awards held in Athens, Greece.
The prestigious recognition highlights the Nigeria Customs Service’s (NCS) proactive approach to transparent communication, proactive stakeholder engagement, and ethical public relations in driving ongoing trade reforms, operational modernization, and institutional integrity.
Speaking after receiving the award on Friday, CGC Adeniyi described the honour as an international validation of the Service’s reform agenda, adding that it would inspire deeper integration of emerging technology—particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI)—into public engagement strategies.
“We have started using AI tools in our public communication, and we view this recognition as an invitation to do more,” Adeniyi stated. “By 2027, we hope the NCS and more Nigerian agencies will feature prominently among global award recipients.”
The Customs chief emphasized that strategic communication remains vital to the success of public sector reforms, ensuring citizens and industry players understand government policies, implementation hurdles, and long-term economic gains.
He noted that the NCS reform framework directly supports President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s broader economic policy—focusing on trade competitiveness, seamless export facilitation, and maximizing Nigeria’s participation in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Adeniyi also praised Nigeria’s broader success at the event, pointing to Image Merchants Promotion Limited (IMPR)—publishers of PRNigeria and Economic Confidential—which scooped the coveted IPRA Grand Prix for its campaign, “AI for Crisis Communication: From Study to Strategy.”
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 winning initiative addressed digital information disorder, AI-generated misinformation, and deepfakes.
Delivering her opening remarks, IPRA President Esther Cobbah highlighted the historic significance of hosting the event in the Greek capital.
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,” Cobbah remarked, praising the 2026 honourees for upholding ethical standards while delivering exceptional communication campaigns.
