The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has once again taken the global stage for excellence in strategic communication, winning the Golden World Award (GWA) for Impactful PR in Customs Management at the 2025 International Public Relations Association (IPRA) Gala held on Friday, October 3, 2025, at the Mövenpick Hotel, Accra, Ghana.
The award, presented by IPRA President Nataša Pavlović Bujas, recognized the NCS for outstanding innovation and leadership in communication under the stewardship of Comptroller-General Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR.
The winning entry a publication authored by Image Merchants Promotion Limited spotlights Adeniyi’s progressive communication model and its transformation into a benchmark framework for public relations and organizational transparency in Nigeria’s public sector.
Philip Sheppard, Secretary-General of IPRA, described the publication as “a practical model of strategic PR leadership,” noting that it offers actionable insights drawn from the customs reforms implemented by the current NCS administration.
Receiving the award on behalf of the Service, the National Public Relations Officer, Assistant Comptroller Abdullahi Maiwada, expressed appreciation to IPRA for the honour, describing it as a validation of the Service’s communication-driven reform agenda.
“This recognition reaffirms our commitment to professionalism, transparency, and stakeholder engagement,” Maiwada said. “Under the leadership of the Comptroller-General, communication has become a vital tool for reform, credibility, and trust-building within the Service.”
This marks the second consecutive year the Nigeria Customs Service has been honoured at the IPRA Golden World Awards. In 2024, the agency received the prestigious GWA for Crisis Communication at the Belgrade Gala in Serbia—solidifying its reputation as a communication-driven public institution.
The 2025 Gala was part of the Public Relations Knowledge Sharing Conference held from October 1–3, 2025, at the Accra International Conference Centre, themed “Global Realities and Innovative Communication.”
The conference featured notable communication leaders, including Dr. Ike Neliaku, President of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR); Arik Karani, President of the African Public Relations Association (APRA); and Esther Amba Numaba Cobbah, President of the Institute of Public Relations (IPR), Ghana.
Delivering the keynote address at the closing session, Ghana’s President, H.E. John Dramani Mahama, urged communication professionals to uphold ethics and excellence in shaping narratives that foster national and continental development.
“As communicators, you hold the power to shape narratives and influence public trust,” President Mahama said. “Africa needs professionals who communicate with integrity, clarity, and purpose.”
Ghana’s Vice President, H.E. Jane Nana, also congratulated the awardees, commending their contributions to advancing strategic communication across the world.
The night concluded on a historic note as Esther Amba Numaba Cobbah was inaugurated as the new President of the International Public Relations Association (IPRA)—becoming the first African to lead the 70-year-old global PR body, a milestone hailed as a landmark achievement for Africa’s communication industry.
Leave a Reply