By Zaharaddeen Ishaq Abubakar
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening collaboration with media organisations across Northern Nigeria as part of efforts to enhance public awareness, trade facilitation, border security and national development.
This formed the focus of a media parley organised by the Service for Zone B Commands in Kano, bringing together Customs Public Relations Officers and journalists from Kano, Katsina, Jigawa and Kaduna states.
The event, held at the Kano/Jigawa Area Command Conference Hall along Sani Marshall Road, Bompai, Kano on Monday 25 May 2026, was themed: “Building Synergy Between the Media and Customs for Enhanced Stakeholders’ Awareness and National Development.”
Leading the engagement, the National Public Relations Officer of the NCS, Abdullahi Aliyu Maiwada, said the Service considered the media a strategic partner in promoting transparency, accountability and public enlightenment.
Maiwada, who spoke on behalf of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, appreciated journalists for their continued support and commitment to Customs activities across the country.
He explained that the Service decided to expand its media engagement beyond maritime journalists in Lagos and Port Harcourt to include journalists from Northern Nigeria in order to deepen understanding of Customs operations and policies.
According to him, the Customs beat remains highly technical, requiring specialised training for journalists to effectively report on fiscal policies, trade facilitation tools and customs procedures.
“We realised there are knowledge gaps in understanding customs terminologies and trade-related concepts. Journalists need to be properly informed before they can adequately inform the public,” he said.
Maiwada disclosed that the Service planned to organise specialised training programmes for journalists covering Customs and business-related activities to improve reportage and public understanding of Customs reforms and operations.
He noted that the Nigeria Customs Service had undergone major reforms under the leadership of the Comptroller-General, particularly in trade modernisation, technology deployment and institutional transparency.
The Customs spokesperson said journalists who recently participated in training sessions in Abuja were taken round the Service’s data centres and project management facilities to expose them to ongoing digital transformation initiatives within the agency.
He stressed that accurate and timely dissemination of information remained essential to the successful implementation of Customs policies, adding that stakeholders including importers, exporters, freight forwarders, manufacturers and border communities relied heavily on credible information.
Maiwada further announced plans to establish a dedicated Northern Nigeria media communication platform to facilitate direct interaction between journalists and Customs Public Relations Officers across the region.
He also highlighted the Service’s long-standing media partnerships, especially with northern-based media organisations and Hausa-language broadcast platforms.
According to him, the Service currently maintains media collaborations with several organisations including Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Voice of Nigeria, Trust TV, TVC and Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), among others.
Earlier in his remarks, the Acting Customs Area Controller of Kano/Jigawa Area Command, Usman Umar Adamu, described the media as a vital bridge between institutions and the public.
He commended the National PRO for initiating the engagement, saying sustained collaboration between Customs and journalists remained indispensable to effective communication and stakeholder engagement.
Adamu assured journalists of continued cooperation and openness in addressing issues related to Customs activities and operations within the command.
In his welcome address, the Public Relations Officer of Kano/Jigawa Area Command, T. Y. Balarabe, said the parley was designed to foster dialogue, clarify Customs processes and strengthen cooperation with the media.
He noted that the media remained critical partners in public enlightenment, trade facilitation and national security.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, represented by the union’s vice chairman, commended the Nigeria Customs Service for organising the engagement in Kano.
The NUJ leadership described the relationship between Customs and the media as mutually beneficial, noting that responsible journalism and access to accurate information were essential in combating misinformation and promoting public trust.
Participants at the event included journalists and correspondents from several media organisations across the North-West, including Katsina Times, News Agency of Nigeria, Daily Trust, Arise Television, Leadership Hausa, Vision FM Katsina and Alfijir Radio Katsina.
The event featured interactive sessions focused on public sensitisation, institutional communication, responsible journalism and strategies for deepening collaboration between the Nigeria Customs Service and media practitioners across the region.
