JOEL OLADELE, Abuja
The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) in promoting the growth and development of public relations practice in the country.
In a statement by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, fnipr, the government welcomed the recent Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the NIPR and the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management to establish a degree-awarding academy for public relations practice in Nigeria.
“I equally welcome the recent election of a Nigerian, Dr. Omoniyi Ibietan, as the Secretary-General of the African Public Relations Association (APRA),” Idris noted.
The Minister also commended the NIPR for its role in championing the designation of Public Relations as a cadre in the Federal Civil Service, effective from December 2023. The re-designation of the Information Officer Cadre to ‘Information and Public Relations Officer Cadre’ and the Executive Cadre to ‘Executive Officer (Information and Public Relations)’ was hailed as a major milestone.
The statement noted that Nigeria has been at the forefront of promoting public relations practice on the African continent, having been the first country to professionalize the profession through legislation. The Minister recalled that recently, the President of the African Public Relations Association (APRA), Mr. Arik Karani, commended Nigeria for its leadership role in this regard.
According to Mr. Karani, “Nigeria was, for the longest time, the only country in Africa that had a law that professionalized public relations. It was Nigeria that started it on the continent, and only last year did Zambia come out with its own law. So now we have two countries on the continent, and only now in Kenya, the bill for professionalizing public relations is at the second reading in Parliament.”
The Minister expressed confidence that Nigeria will continue to play a leading role in strengthening and elevating public relations practice not only at home but also across Africa.
“Rest assured that the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will continue to provide the enabling environment for everybody within Nigeria’s communications industry to thrive,” he promised.
FG restates commitment to strengthening public relations practice in Nigeria
JOEL OLADELE, Abuja
The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) in promoting the growth and development of public relations practice in the country.
In a statement by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, fnipr, the government welcomed the recent Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the NIPR and the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management to establish a degree-awarding academy for public relations practice in Nigeria.
“I equally welcome the recent election of a Nigerian, Dr. Omoniyi Ibietan, as the Secretary-General of the African Public Relations Association (APRA),” Idris noted.
The Minister also commended the NIPR for its role in championing the designation of Public Relations as a cadre in the Federal Civil Service, effective from December 2023. The re-designation of the Information Officer Cadre to ‘Information and Public Relations Officer Cadre’ and the Executive Cadre to ‘Executive Officer (Information and Public Relations)’ was hailed as a major milestone.
The statement noted that Nigeria has been at the forefront of promoting public relations practice on the African continent, having been the first country to professionalize the profession through legislation. The Minister recalled that recently, the President of the African Public Relations Association (APRA), Mr. Arik Karani, commended Nigeria for its leadership role in this regard.
According to Mr. Karani, “Nigeria was, for the longest time, the only country in Africa that had a law that professionalized public relations. It was Nigeria that started it on the continent, and only last year did Zambia come out with its own law. So now we have two countries on the continent, and only now in Kenya, the bill for professionalizing public relations is at the second reading in Parliament.”
The Minister expressed confidence that Nigeria will continue to play a leading role in strengthening and elevating public relations practice not only at home but also across Africa.
“Rest assured that the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will continue to provide the enabling environment for everybody within Nigeria’s communications industry to thrive,” he promised.
DISCLAIMER
The OPINION / COLUMN is authored by independent contributors to the National Accord Newspaper. While contributors adhere to our editorial guidelines, they are not employed by the National Accord Newspaper. The perspectives and opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author and do not represent the views of the National Accord Newspaper or its staff.