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As part of efforts to enhance the performance and public perception of Nigeria Custom Service (NCS) officials, the Service has formally launched NCS Reputation Management Guide for Zone A commands and units.
The launch, which was presided over by the Zonal Coordinator, Zone A, Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs, ACG Charles Orbih, also featured the commencement of a training programme on the vital document by Public Relations experts.
Speaking at the event on Monday, ACG Orbih, stated that the historic occasion marks a significant milestone in the NCS quest for excellence and institutional transformation.
His words: “We are not just launching a guide, we are also embarking on a mission to redefine what it means to be a customs officer in Nigeria. On Tuesday, August 5th, 2025, the Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewole Adeneye, MFR, unveiled this ground-breaking reputation management guide at the services headquarters in Abuja.
“In his words, we want to go to a new phase of the Customs, we want to go beyond our traditional mandate. This guide is an opportunity for every Customs officer to be part of a project that rewrites the history of our service. This statement captures the essence of what we are here to achieve today.”
The Zonal Coordinator noted that the handbook provides a structured approach to understanding, protecting, and promoting the Service’s reputations in light of her mandates and codes of conduct.
He equally noted that the Reputation Management Guide is aligned with the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, and through it, the NCS will continue to demonstrate its commitment to transparency, accountability, and service excellence.
“In this digital age, what is said about customs online can travel faster than any smuggled contraband. Our reputation must be guided as tightly as our others. The strength of the NCS lies not only in enforcement, but in public trust. We build through every decision, every clearance, and every engagement that we make in the public.
“NCS must evoke respect, not suspicion, and our ethics and enforcement must work hand-in-hand to secure that identity. Fellow officers, we stand at the threshold of a new era, a new frontier. The Reputation Management Guide is our roadmap to becoming the world-class customs service that Nigeria deserves,” he posited.
Speaking earlier, the Customs National Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Maiwada, stressed that the handbook isn’t just for Public Relations Officers alone but a call to action to all officers of the Service to carry out their duties with a cool head, clear intent and conscious pride.
“It is my great honor and privilege to welcome you to this landmark event, the official unveiling of the Nigeria Customs Service Reputation Management Guide and the commencement of Reputation Management Campaign in Zone A,” Maiwada said.
Noting that the role of any public institution today extends far beyond its operational mandates, he stated that “for many years, our officers have worked with dedication and patriotism to safeguard the economic borders of Nigeria, to facilitate trade, and to ensure compliance with customs laws. However, despite these contributions, isolated actions and missteps have sometimes overshadowed our collective achievement.
“This campaign is our deliberate response to that challenge. It is about building credibility through consistency and restoring confidence through conduct. The Reputation Management Guide is a practical framework crafted not only to improve public perception, but a culture of accountability, civility, and professionalism at all levels of the service.”
On his part, the Customs Area Controller, Apapa Command, Comptroller Babatunde Olomu, assured that Customs officials at the nation’s premier seaport would wholly abide by the new Reputation Management Guide.
While thanking the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR, and the Zone A Coordinator, ACG Charles Orbih, for providing sterling leadership, he encouraged all Customs officers to learn and improve their conduct not only in the field, but also other interactions with the public.
