By Odita Sunday
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has once again earned global acclaim for excellence in communication, clinching 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, celebrated the Service’s exemplary communication initiatives and innovative public relations strategies under the leadership of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR.
The winning entry a publication authored by Image Merchants Promotion Limited chronicles the Customs’ transformative communication strategies, which have become a reference point for public relations scholarship and institutional communication reform in Nigeria.
Speaking on the recognition, IPRA Secretary-General, Philip Sheppard, lauded the publication for offering practical strategies and real-life applications of PR leadership, noting that it showcases the reform-driven communication model pioneered by the Nigeria Customs Service.
Receiving the award on behalf of the Service, the National Public Relations Officer, Assistant Comptroller Abdullahi Maiwada, expressed profound appreciation to IPRA for the honour.
He described the recognition as a validation of the NCS’s commitment to transparency, stakeholder engagement, and professionalism.
“This award reaffirms the Nigeria Customs Service’s dedication to proactive communication and institutional credibility,” Maiwada said. “Under the Comptroller-General’s leadership, we have repositioned communication as a strategic tool for reform and trust-building.”
The latest win follows the Service’s 2024 Golden World Award for Crisis Communication, received at the IPRA Gala in Belgrade, Serbia — underscoring NCS’s consistent innovation in communication and reputation management.
The 2025 IPRA Gala and Knowledge Sharing Conference, themed “Global Realities and Innovative Communication,” ran from October 1 to 3 at the Accra International Conference Centre.
The event attracted prominent 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, among others.
At the closing session, Ghana’s President, H.E. John Dramani Mahama, urged PR professionals to uphold ethics and competence in their practice, emphasizing the profession’s vital role in shaping narratives and building public trust.
“As communicators, you hold the power to influence perception and drive development,” President Mahama said. “Africa needs professionals who communicate with integrity and purpose.”
Also addressing the audience, Ghana’s Vice President, H.E. Jane Nana, congratulated all awardees, commending their contributions to advancing strategic communication globally.
The night culminated in a historic moment as Esther Amba Numaba Cobbah was inaugurated as the new President of IPRA, becoming the first African to lead the 70-year-old global body a milestone hailed as a proud achievement for the continent’s PR professionals.