Onu Okorie

Nigeria has recorded a strong showing at the 2026 International Public Relations Association IPRA Golden World Awards in Athens, Greece, with the country’s strategic communication efforts receiving international recognition.
The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service NCS, Adewale Adeniyi, was presented with a Special Award of Excellence at the ceremony held on Friday, September 25, in recognition of his role in advancing strategic communication, stakeholder engagement and ethical public relations within the Service.
The recognition placed renewed attention on the growing importance of communication in the implementation of public-sector reforms, particularly as government institutions increasingly turn to digital technologies and artificial intelligence to engage citizens and stakeholders.
Receiving the award, Adeniyi said the recognition would encourage the Customs Service to expand its use of emerging technologies, particularly AI, in its communication and stakeholder engagement activities.
“We have started using AI tools in our public communication, and we view this recognition as an invitation to do more. By 2027, we hope the NCS and more Nigerian agencies will feature prominently among global award recipients,” he said.
The Customs chief said effective communication was essential to the success of government reforms because citizens and other stakeholders needed to understand not only the objectives of reforms but also the challenges associated with their implementation and the benefits expected from them.
He linked the NCS communication strategy to the broader economic reform agenda of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration, particularly efforts to improve Nigeria’s trade competitiveness, facilitate exports and strengthen the country’s participation in the African Continental Free Trade Area AfCFTA.
Adeniyi also highlighted Nigeria’s success in another major category at the awards, where the IPRA Grand Prix was won by Image Merchants Promotion Limited (IMPR), publishers of PRNigeria and Economic Confidential.
The winning campaign, “AI for Crisis Communication: From Study to Strategy,” examined the emerging communication challenges posed by artificial intelligence, including misinformation, deepfakes and digital information disorder.
The initiative was developed from a research project led by IMPR Chief Executive Officer, Yushau Shuaib, in collaboration with the National Information Technology Development Agency NITDA and the Centre for Crisis Communication. Findings from the research were subsequently developed into a strategic communication campaign.
The twin recognition for Adeniyi and the IMPR campaign underscored the increasing role of Nigerian institutions and communication professionals in international discussions on ethical communication, technology and public-sector engagement.
The significance of the Athens gathering was also highlighted by IPRA President Esther Cobbah, who noted that the city had a historic connection with the association’s ethical framework.
In her welcome remarks, Cobbah said Athens was where IPRA developed its Code of Conduct for public relations practice six decades ago.
“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,” she said.
The 2026 awards therefore provided both a platform for celebrating professional excellence and an opportunity to examine how long-established principles of ethical communication are being applied in an increasingly AI-driven information environment. For the Nigeria Customs Service, the recognition comes as the agency continues to pursue reforms centred on modernising operations, improving trade facilitation and strengthening institutional transparency.