Customs Highlights B’Odogwu, Strategic Communication Reforms at ACSPN Conference

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has underscored the critical role of strategic communication in driving institutional reforms, trade facilitation, revenue generation and effective stakeholder engagement.

The Service also highlighted its B’Odogwu digital modernisation platform as a key component of its ongoing transformation agenda.

The National Public Relations Officer of the NCS, Deputy Comptroller of Customs Abdullahi Maiwada, stated this on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, while representing the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, at the 13th Annual Conference of the Association of Communication Scholars and Professionals of Nigeria (ACSPN) at the National Open University of Nigeria, Abuja.

Maiwada said effective communication remained essential to the successful implementation of the Service’s mandate, stressing that technological and institutional reforms could not achieve their desired impact without adequate communication with stakeholders.

“Our critical role in trade facilitation, revenue generation and anti-smuggling cannot be effective without effective communication,” he said.

According to him, the NCS has continued to deploy technology and innovative approaches to enhance its operations, with B’Odogwu serving as one of the major pillars of its digital transformation programme.

He described the platform as an innovative trade model that is attracting attention beyond Nigeria, noting that its effectiveness would be enhanced through deliberate communication and stakeholder engagement.

The Customs spokesman also highlighted the Service’s “Town and Gown” initiative, which seeks to bridge the gap between academic research and professional practice in communication.

He disclosed that the initiative had commenced at Bayero University, Kano, and in Port Harcourt, with plans to expand and deepen the involvement of academia in Customs engagements from 2027.

Maiwada said stronger partnerships with communication scholars and professionals would enable the NCS to benefit from contemporary research, professional expertise and emerging communication technologies.

He added that such collaboration would equally provide academic institutions with practical knowledge of Customs operations and institutional communication.

The conference brought together communication scholars, professionals and institutional stakeholders to deliberate on the changing communication landscape and the implications of emerging technologies for democracy and electoral processes ahead of the 2027 general elections.

In his opening remarks, ACSPN President, Professor Rotimi Olatunji, stressed the importance of informed citizens, credible media and transparent institutions in sustaining constitutional democracy.

A keynote presentation delivered on behalf of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Sani Adam, also highlighted emerging threats to electoral communication, including deepfakes, artificial intelligence-generated content and candidate impersonation.

The NCS participation at the conference followed an earlier engagement on Monday, August 31, 2026, when the Service hosted the leadership of ACSPN at its National Headquarters in Abuja to explore areas of collaboration in digital communication, media engagement, professional development and stronger links between academia and the Customs Service.

The conference subsequently featured technical sessions focusing on electoral communication and the challenges posed by the digital age, before culminating in a dinner and award ceremony recognising outstanding contributions to communication scholarship and professional practice.