The Tin Can Island Port Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intensified its engagement with the media, hosting the second batch of the Maritime Journalists Training Workshop as part of efforts to strengthen compliance, trade facilitation and national security.
Declaring the workshop open on Wednesday, the Customs Area Controller (CAC) of the Command, Comptroller Frank Onyeka, said the initiative aligned with ongoing reforms within the Service aimed at deepening stakeholder collaboration and embracing modernization in line with international standards.
Onyeka described maritime journalists as strategic partners in Customs operations, noting that informed and accurate reportage was vital to transparency, accountability and public enlightenment.
According to him, an informed press remains a powerful ally in nation-building, stressing that engagements such as the workshop were designed to foster mutual understanding, trust and professionalism between Customs and the media.
He explained that the training was structured to provide journalists with deeper insights into Customs operations, compliance requirements, trade facilitation tools and modernization initiatives, while also addressing common misconceptions surrounding port processes.
The Comptroller further disclosed that the Comptroller-General of Customs, Dr Adewale Adeniyi, placed high priority on stakeholder collaboration, noting that effective service delivery could only be achieved through collective effort.
“The media, especially maritime journalists, play a strategic role in this journey, as partners in information dissemination, public enlightenment, and accountability.
“As we deliberate on compliance, collaboration, and modernization, let us remember that our collective goal is to align the Nigeria Customs Service with global best practices while promoting national economic growth and national security,” Onyeka said.
Earlier, the training coordinator, Innocent Orok, said the workshop was the outcome of sustained engagement between the maritime media and the NCS, following concerns over inaccurate reporting driven by knowledge gaps.
He recalled that the idea for the structured capacity-building programme emerged after discussions sparked by a 2024 newspaper report on port delays, adding that the first batch of the training was held on November 1, 2024, under the leadership of the then Comptroller, now Deputy Comptroller-General, Dera Nnadi.
Orok noted that the second batch fulfilled a commitment to accommodate more journalists, singling out Comptroller Onyeka for what he described as an unprecedented commitment to media development, including the approval of modern work tools for participants.
The workshop featured five technical and professional sessions covering the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023, the role of the B’Odogwu platform in trade facilitation, Customs modernization through the Authorised Economic Operator and Time Release Study, global supply chain security under the World Customs Organization SAFE Framework of Standards, and ethics and character in maritime journalism.
Participants were drawn from across the maritime media landscape, with close to 100 journalists trained across the two batches held so far.
One of the participants, Modinat Eniodunmo, described the programme as edifying and impactful, saying it would significantly improve her reportage of the Nigeria Customs Service and the maritime industry.
The workshop ended with the presentation of certificates, plaques and modern work tools to participants, reinforcing the Service’s drive to professionalise maritime reporting as part of broader efforts to align Nigeria’s Customs operations with global best practices.
