BREAKING: Customs CG Adeniyi to Receive IPRA 2026 Award in Greece as CBN, NITDA, CCC Shortlisted

By Aminat Damilola, Assistant Editor

Dr. Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), will receive the Special Recognition Award from the International Public Relations Association (IPRA), the Spynews has learnt.

The award, it was gathered, will be presented during the Golden World Awards on September 25, 2026, in Athens, Greece.

This announcement follows the shortlisting of three Nigerian institutions—the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), and the Centre for Crisis Communication (CCC)—as finalists for the 2026 Golden World Awards (GWA).

Their nominated campaigns were executed in partnership with Image Merchants Promotion Limited (IMPR), publishers of PRNigeria and Spokespersons Digest. Additionally, Lagos-based communications agency LSF PR has been shortlisted across multiple award categories

Founded on May 1, 1955, in London, IPRA is the world’s oldest global association for public relations professionals.

In 1990, it introduced the Golden World Awards as an annual international competition recognising outstanding achievements and excellence in public relations practice across diverse categories worldwide.

Adeniyi’s selection adds to a growing list of international honours earned by the Nigeria Customs Service under his leadership. The Service previously won IPRA Golden World Awards in Belgrade (2024) and Ghana (2025), while Adeniyi himself received the Certificate of Excellence for CEO of the Year at SABRE Africa 2026 in South Africa.

The latest honour was conveyed in a notification dated July 31, 2026, signed by IPRA Secretary‑General Philip Sheppard, who said the award recognises Adeniyi’s “outstanding contributions to public relations practice in Nigeria, his leadership in institutional communication, and his commitment to promoting professional excellence within the Nigeria Customs Service.”

Sheppard noted that the recognition reflects the remarkable achievements of the NCS under Adeniyi, including multiple IPRA Golden World Awards for communication excellence driven by strategies rooted in transparency, stakeholder engagement and effective public communication.

IPRA further commended the Customs chief for strengthening public trust, advancing crisis‑communication systems and promoting international best practices—efforts it said have significantly enhanced Nigeria’s reputation within the global communication community.

Adeniyi is expected to receive the award in person at the Golden World Awards ceremony at the Hotel Grande Bretagne, Athens, where communication professionals from around the world will gather to celebrate excellence in public relations and strategic communication.

“We look forward to welcoming you to Athens as we celebrate your achievements and your outstanding service to the communication profession,” Sheppard wrote.