BY CHIKA OKEKE, Abuja
The Nigeria Customs Service ,NCS, has aligned with the United Kingdom to bolster talks on trade deals, information sharing and compliance between the two countries.
This formed the crux of discussions during a high-level bilateral meeting between NCS and His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs ,HMRC, of the Uk in Abuja, meant to finalise a Customs Mutual Administrative Assistance Agreement ,CMAA.
Comptroller-General of Customs ,CGC, Adewale Adeniyi said that the engagement was part of efforts to conclude negotiations on the agreement ahead of the proposed signing in December.
Adeniyi, who was represented by the Assistant Comptroller-General ,ACG of Customs in charge of Strategic, Research and Policy Department, Nafi’u Isyaku noted that the negotiations were conducted virtually for about six months before the two sides decided to meet physically in Abuja.
Senior Policy Adviser at His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, Syed Moinuddin described the meeting as an opportunity for both customs administrations to work through areas of cooperation and establish a framework that reflects the interests of the two authorities.
He said that the engagement had provided an opportunity to strengthen the relationship between the NCS and HMRC within the wider customs family.
Head of Bilateral Relations and Agreements at HMRC, Louisa Bentley noted that the agreement would boost trade by improving compliance and information sharing while facilitating trade opportunities between HMRC and the NCS.
She commended the reforms implemented by the NCS, following a tour of key facilities at the headquarters, including the Trade Modernisation Project Limited office, Pre-Arrival Assessment Report office and Nigeria Customs Broadcasting Network station.
The NCS also received international recognition for its strategic communication and stakeholder engagement efforts, with CGC Adeniyi clinching a Special Award of Excellence at the 2026 International Public Relations Association ,IPRA, Golden World Awards in Athens, Greece over the weekend.
The award recognises the Service’s approach to transparent communication, stakeholder engagement and ethical public relations in supporting the implementation and public understanding of its ongoing reforms, particularly initiatives aimed at modernising Customs operations, improving trade facilitation and strengthening institutional transparency.
CGC Adeniyi described the honour as international acknowledgement of the NCS's reform efforts, adding that it would encourage the Service to deepen its adoption of emerging technologies, particularly Artificial Intelligence, AI, in public communication and stakeholder engagement.
“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.
CGC Adeniyi said that effective communication remained critical to the success of the government reforms as citizens and stakeholders needed to understand their objectives, implementation challenges and expected benefits.
He added that the NCS reform agenda aligned with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's economic policies, particularly efforts to improve Nigeria’s trade competitiveness, facilitate exports, and strengthen the country’s participation in the African Continental Free Trade Area ,AfCFTA.
He celebrated Nigeria’s win at the IPRA Grand Prix, describing the achievement as an indication of the country’s growing participation in international strategic communication.
The Grand Prix was awarded to Image Merchants Promotion Limited ,IMPR, publishers of PRNigeria and Economic Confidential, for its campaign, AI for Crisis Communication: From Study to Strategy.
President of the International Public Relations Association ,IPRA, Esther Cobbah stated that the return to Athens was particularly significant as the association developed its Code of Conduct for public relations practice in Athens 60 years ago.
She pointed out that the 2026 event provided an opportunity to celebrate individuals, agencies and organisations that had applied the principles of ethical communication while delivering excellence in their work.
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