Afrigather 
By Yushau A. Shuaib
Weblink: https://yashuaib.com/2024/06/adeniyi-impactful-customs/
On June 13, 2024, an electronic mail from Janice Hills of the Worldwide Public Relations Affiliation (IPRA) introduced a Marketing campaign, “100 Days of Impactful PR at Customs Service,” as a Finalist for the 2024 Golden World Award (GWA) in public Relations.
As a finalist, the marketing campaign will now proceed to the second spherical, the place extra supplies, together with paperwork, related net hyperlinks, photos, and movies, will probably be submitted to allow the jury from numerous international locations to resolve on the successful entries.
The marketing campaign, a testomony to the strategic management of the Comptroller Common of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, was beforehand honoured with a Certificates of Excellence on the 2024 SABRE African PR, a prestigious recognition on the annual convention of the African Public Relations Affiliation (APRA) in Cote d’Ivoire.
The marketing campaign recognised the strategic deployment of public relations (PR) ways by Adeniyi, in 100 days of appearing as Comptroller Common, to boost consciousness in regards to the New Customs Act and the Reform Agenda throughout the sector – a testomony to his visionary management and modern method.
Upon assuming the function of appearing Comptroller Common on June 19, 2023, Adeniyi was introduced with a novel alternative. The rapid previous President Muhammadu Buhari had on Could 23, 2023, exactly per week earlier than his handover to President Tinubu, assented to the Nigeria Customs Act, amending it for the primary time in over 64 years. This introduced a key opening for Adeniyi to make use of the marketing campaign to boost consciousness in regards to the transformative import, worth, expenditure, and accountability modifications promised by the brand new Act and the stricter penalties and sanctions for Excise obligation violations.
The Act specifies that appointment of the Comptroller Common of the service would not be open to non-career people, because it empowers the President to nominate a CGC from career-serving officers, offered they maintain a rank not decrease than that of an Assistant Comptroller Common (ACG).
As a distinguished Fellow and former Vice President of the Nigeria Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Adeniyi performed a pivotal function in fostering stakeholder collaboration. His efforts have been instrumental in aligning the NCS’s core duties with President Tinubu’s priorities in commerce facilitation, income assortment, societal safety, and cooperation. This demonstrates the NCS’s unwavering dedication to nationwide objectives.
In simply three months of his appearing capability, Adeniyi had intensified consciousness campaigns by capacity-building programmes, stakeholder engagements, and media interactions. One of many different main challenges he confronted on assumption of workplace was managing the commerce embargo between ECOWAS states and Niger Republic attributable to a coup. Regardless of the general public outcry over border closures affecting businesspeople and border communities, Adeniyi’s disaster communication methods concerned consultations with group leaders, youth teams, and enterprise stakeholders in direction of offering reduction, options and legit choices.
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His management and managerial abilities by strategic communication enhanced stakeholder collaboration ensured border safety, influenced the citizenry’s compliance with customs reforms, considerably boosted income technology and instilled a way of optimism and hope for the long run. It additionally significantly contributed to the productiveness of his administration crew. Impressed by the unparalleled feat and technique deployed, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu authorized the affirmation of Adeniyi’s appointment as substantive Comptroller Common from October 19, 2024.
Apparently, Kabir Abdulsalam of PRNigeria and Maryam Na’Allah of Spokespersons Digest, each workers writers at Picture Retailers Promotion Restricted, studied and documented Adeniyi’s public relations methods of their forthcoming e book titled “Impactful PR in Customs Administration.”
With a blurb by Vice President Kashim Shettima and a foreword written by the President of NIPR, Dr. Ike Neliaku, the e book highlights well-coordinated PR approaches in management and administration.
Key points lined within the literature embrace how press protection and media engagement created required consciousness and sensitisation of customs reforms. Equally, the impact of standard engagement with stakeholders in facilitating interagency collaboration and incomes public help can be highlighted. Organised particular occasions by vigorous interactions and fruitful deliberations have been priceless in selling the brand new laws and different service efforts.
The e book emphasises different methods for engagement and communication throughout crises and recognises the effectiveness of third-party narratives. It additional focuses on main PR instruments in its twelve chapters, comparable to media relations, occasion administration, disaster communication, stakeholder engagement, press launch writing, social media, lobbying decision-makers, company social duty (CSR), fame administration, in-house publications, worker relations, and media monitoring.
In lower than a yr in workplace, by his commerce facilitation measures, together with 24-hour port decongestion/clearance and removing of a number of checkpoints with devoted import and export terminals, the Customs Service beneath Adeniyi has achieved an unprecedented income assortment of 75%, in comparison with the earlier yr.
A humble and detribalised Nigerian, Adeniyi has demonstrated inspirational management that motivates workers throughout all ranges and backgrounds to attempt for excellence and make sacrifices within the nation’s service. His selfless method has created a tradition of unity and dedication, inspiring others to work in direction of a typical objective of serving the nationwide curiosity.
His anti-smuggling marketing campaign efforts, by strengthening collaborations, have additionally led to large seizures of wildlife merchandise, lethal weapons, and arduous medicine, amongst different contrabands which are injurious to the financial system and lifetime of the folks.
Adeniyi’s groundbreaking communication method and proactive methods have considerably influenced public notion and showcased the tangible advantages of efficient PR methods for excellence. His visionary management has remodeled the Customs Service, restored belief and elevated its fame. His exemplary mannequin of efficient PR on the administration stage has the potential to encourage future leaders to harness the facility of strategic communication, leaving an enduring legacy within the business.
The accomplishments of the customs service beneath Tinubu’s administration are fairly apparent, because the e book will probably be unveiled on the forthcoming annual Economic Confidential Summit in Abuja subsequent month.
Yushau A. Shuaib, Creator of “Award Profitable Disaster Communication Methods” www.YASHuaib.com, [email protected]
