The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has won the Golden World Award (GWA) for Impactful Public Relations in Customs Management at the 2025 International Public Relations Association (IPRA) Gala.
The award was presented to the NCS by the President of IPRA, Nataša Pavlović Bujas, during the Golden World Awards Gala Night held at the Mövenpick Hotel in Accra, Ghana on Friday, October 3, 2025.
The winning entry, a publication authored by Image Merchants Promotion Limited, documents the Comptroller-General of Customs, CGC Bashir Adewale Adeniyi‘s progressive communication strategies that have since evolved into a strategic framework for public relations scholarship in Nigeria.
According to Philip Sheppard, Secretary-General of IPRA, the publication provides practical strategies for organisations. It showcases real-life applications of PR leadership drawn from the reforms of CGC Adeniyi.
Receiving the award on behalf of the Service, the National Public Relations Officer, Assistant Comptroller of Customs, AC Abdullahi Maiwada, expressed profound appreciation to IPRA for the recognition, stating that it reinforces the Service’s vision for institutional credibility and proactive communication.
“This award is a validation of the Nigeria Customs Service’s commitment to professionalism, transparency, and stakeholder engagement. Under the leadership of the Comptroller-General, we have repositioned communication as a strategic tool for reform and trust-building,” AC Maiwada said.
Recall that the Service was earlier honoured in 2024 with the prestigious GWA for Crisis Communication at the IPRA Gala in Belgrade, Serbia. This year’s award builds on that feat, highlighting NCS’s consistent innovation in communication and reputation management.
The award ceremony formed part of the Public Relations Knowledge Sharing Conference held from Wednesday, 1st to Friday, 3rd October 2025, at the Accra International Conference Centre.
The conference, themed “Global Realities and Innovative Communication”, was attended by leading communication experts, including the President of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Dr. Ike Neliaku; President of IPRA, Nataša Pavlović Bujas; President of the African Public Relations Association (APRA), Arik Karani; and President of the Institute of Public Relations (IPR), Ghana, Esther Amba Numaba Cobbah, among other PR professionals across Africa.
In his closing remarks, the President of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama urged public relations professionals to uphold the highest standards of ethics and competence in their practice.
“As communicators, you hold the power to shape narratives and influence public trust. Our continent needs professionals who communicate with integrity, clarity, and purpose to support national development,” President Mahama stated.
On her part, Ghana’s Vice President, Jane Naana, congratulated all the awardees, commending their contributions to advancing strategic communication globally.
Similarly, Cobbah assumed the mantle as the new President of the IPRA, succeeding Bujas.
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