CG Adeniyi: Impactful PR in Customs Management By Yushau A. Shuaib

On June 13, 2024, an email from Janice Hills of the International Public Relations Association (IPRA) announced a campaign, “100 Days of Impactful PR at Customs Service”, as a finalist for the 2024 Golden World Award (GWA) in Public Relations. It will now proceed to the second round, where more materials, including documents, relevant web links, images, and videos will be submitted to enable the jury to decide on the winning entries.

The campaign, a testament to the strategic leadership of the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, was previously honoured with a Certificate of Excellence at the 2024 Africa SABRE Awards, a prestigious recognition at the annual conference of the African Public Relations Association (APRA) in Cote d’Ivoire.

The campaign chronicled Adeniyi’s innovative approach and the deployment of public relations tactics – during the first 100 days at the helm – as he engaged Nigerians and several stakeholders on the new Customs Act and the Reform Agenda within the sector. The CG assumed office on June 19, 2023.

A week before handing over to President Bola Tinubu, former President Muhammadu Buhari signed the Nigeria Customs Act, amending it for the first time in over 64 years. This presented Adeniyi the opportunity to raise awareness about the transformative import, value, expenditure, and accountability changes promised by the new Act and the stricter penalties and sanctions for Excise duty violations.

The Act specifies that appointment of the Comptroller General would no longer be open to non-career individuals, as it empowers the President to appoint a CGC from career-serving officers, provided they hold a rank not lower than that of an Assistant Comptroller General (ACG).

As a distinguished Fellow and ex-Vice President of the Nigeria Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Adeniyi played a pivotal role in fostering stakeholder collaboration. His efforts were instrumental in aligning the NCS’s core responsibilities with President Tinubu’s priorities in trade facilitation, revenue collection, societal protection, and cooperation. This demonstrates the NCS’s unwavering commitment to national goals.

Within three months in acting capacity, Adeniyi intensified awareness campaigns through capacity-building programmes, stakeholder engagements, and media interactions. One of the major challenges he faced was managing the trade embargo between ECOWAS member states and Niger Republic after the coup. Amid public outcry over border closures which affected businesses and towns, Adeniyi’s crisis communication involved consultations with community leaders, youth groups, etc, towards providing relief and legitimate options.

His leadership and managerial skills ensured border security, influenced the citizenry’s compliance with customs reforms, boosted revenue generation and instilled a sense of optimism and hope for the future. It also considerably contributed to the productivity of his management team. Impressed by the unparalleled feat and strategy deployed, President Tinubu confirmed Adeniyi’s appointment as substantive Comptroller General from October 19, 2023.

Interestingly, Kabir Abdulsalam of PRNigeria and Maryam Na’Allah of Spokespersons Digest, both staff writers at Image Merchants Promotion Limited, studied and documented Adeniyi’s public relations strategies in their forthcoming book titled “Impactful PR in Customs Management.” With a blurb by Vice President Kashim Shettima and a foreword written by Dr. Ike Neliaku (NIPR President), the book highlights well-coordinated PR approaches in leadership and management.

Key aspects covered in the literature include how press coverage and media engagement created required awareness and sensitisation of customs reforms. Similarly, the effect of regular engagement with stakeholders in facilitating interagency cooperation and earning public support is also highlighted. Organised special events through lively interactions and fruitful deliberations have been valuable in promoting the new legislation and other service endeavours.

The book emphasises more strategies for engagement and communication during crises and recognises the effectiveness of third-party narratives. It focuses on primary PR tools in its twelve chapters – event management, crisis communication, stakeholder engagement, press release writing, social media, lobbying decision-makers, corporate social responsibility, reputation management, in-house publications, employee relations, and media monitoring.

While the book will be unveiled at the annual Economic Confidential Summit in Abuja in July, the accomplishment of the Customs Service under Tinubu’s administration is quite obvious. Due to Adeniyi’s trade facilitation measures, including 24-hour port decongestion/clearance and removal of multiple checkpoints with dedicated import and export terminals, the NCS has achieved an unprecedented revenue collection of 75%, compared to the previous year.

Adeniyi, a humble and detribalised Nigerian, has demonstrated inspirational leadership that motivates staff across all levels and backgrounds to strive for excellence and make sacrifices. His selfless attitude has created a culture of unity and dedication, inspiring others to work towards a common goal of serving the national interest.

Additionally, the Comptroller General’s anti-smuggling efforts, through strengthened partnerships, have led to massive seizures of wildlife products, deadly weapons, and hard drugs, among other contrabands that are injurious to the country’s economy and life of the people.

Adeniyi’s communication approach and proactive policies have influenced public perception and showcased the tangible benefits of effective PR strategies. The Customs chief’s visionary management has not only transformed the NCS, but also restored trust and elevated its reputation. His PR management indeed has the potential to inspire future leaders to harness the power of strategic communication, leaving a lasting legacy in the industry.

_Yushau Shuaib is the author of “Award Winning Crisis Communication Strategies”_

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