Customs Showcases ‘B’Odogwu’ to Champion Strategic Communication at ACSPN Conference

By Temitope Adebiyi, Correspondent

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has highlighted that effective communication is vital to its institutional reforms, trade facilitation, revenue generation, and stakeholder engagement—especially regarding its B’Odogwu digital modernidation platform.

The National Public Relations Officer of the Service, Deputy Comptroller of Customs Abdullahi Maiwada, led the discussion while representing the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, at the 13th Annual Conference of the Association of Communication Scholars and Professionals of Nigeria (ACSPN) held at the National Open University of Nigeria, Abuja.

Maiwada stressed that communication is indispensable to achieving the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) mandate, noting that technological and institutional reforms rely on effective stakeholder engagement to succeed. “Our critical roles in trade facilitation, revenue generation, and anti-smuggling depend heavily on clear communication,” he said. He added that the NCS continues to deploy innovative technology to improve operations, highlighting B’Odogwu as a core component of the Service’s digital transformation and a trade model gaining international attention.

The image maker also highlighted the Service’s “Town and Gown” initiative, designed to bridge the gap between academic knowledge and professional practice in communication. He noted that the initiative had already commenced at Bayero University, Kano, and in Port Harcourt, with plans to deepen the integration of academia into Customs engagements in 2027.

According to him, stronger collaboration with communication scholars and professionals would enable the Service to benefit from contemporary research, professional expertise and emerging communication technologies, while providing academic institutions with practical insights into Customs operations and institutional communication.

The conference, which brought together communication scholars, professionals and institutional stakeholders, also examined the changing communication environment and the implications of emerging technologies for democracy and electoral processes ahead of the 2027 general elections.

In his opening remarks, the ACSPN President, Professor Rotimi Olatunji, emphasised the importance of informed citizens, credible media and transparent institutions to the sustenance of constitutional democracy, while a keynote presentation delivered on behalf of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Sani Adam, drew attention to emerging threats, including deepfakes, AI-generated content and candidate impersonation.

The NCS’s participation built on an earlier engagement on Monday, August 31, 2026, when the Service hosted ACSPN leadership at its Abuja National Headquarters to explore collaboration in digital communication, media engagement, and professional development. Maintaining this momentum, the conference featured technical sessions on electoral communication and digital-age challenges, concluding with a dinner and award ceremony that recognized outstanding contributions to communication scholarship and practice.