Customs PR Unit Shines as Kano/Jigawa Command Sweeps Top Honours at CGC Award Night

Customs PR Unit Shines as Kano/Jigawa Command Sweeps Top Honours at CGC Award Night

JOEL OLADELE, Abuja

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has reaffirmed its commitment to excellence, professionalism and stronger internal collaboration as the 2025 Comptroller-General of Customs Conference ended on Friday with a colourful award night and gala dinner that celebrated outstanding performances across its formations.

The ceremony also spotlighted the Public Relations Unit, which received a major institutional commendation.

The event, held after two days of engagements focused on improving synergy, operational efficiency and accelerating ongoing reforms, drew the attendance of Management members, Comptrollers, senior officers and invited guests who gathered to honour exceptional contributions made throughout the year.

In his remarks, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, praised officers for their commitment to duty, noting that the Service surpassed its 2025 revenue target even before the conference began.

He described the achievement as evidence of the collective efforts invested in enforcement operations, trade facilitation and modernisation initiatives.

“Tonight, we celebrate ourselves,” the CGC said. “We have worked hard, delivered results and strengthened the pillars that define our mandate. Recognising excellence is essential to sustaining this momentum.”

A major highlight of the night was the recognition of the NCS Public Relations Unit for its exceptional impact in strategic communication, media visibility and stakeholder engagement. The Unit was celebrated for effectively projecting Customs reforms and achievements, notably during the C-PACT Summit and this year’s CGC Conference.

Its efforts in countering misinformation, strengthening public trust and enhancing understanding of Customs operations formed the basis of the award.

The Kano/Jigawa Area Command, led by Comptroller Abubakar Dalhatu, emerged as one of the evening’s biggest winners. The Command received the award for Most Improved Command, following its remarkable performance in revenue generation, major currency seizures and boosted enforcement activities. Its Public Relations Officer, CSC Tahir Balarabe, was also honoured as Best Public Relations Officer of the Year, acknowledging his excellence in visibility management, crisis communication and proactive stakeholder engagements.

Several other Commands, Units and individual officers received awards for distinction in leadership, innovation, discipline, trade facilitation, community relations and anti-smuggling operations.

The recognitions highlighted the broad range of contributions driving the Service’s modernisation efforts nationwide.
The ceremony ended with renewed pledges from officers to deepen professionalism, foster unity and sustain the reforms shaping the future of the Nigeria Customs Service.