To many observers, the August 24 date for the 2023 Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations [NIPR] may seem far from today, but the build-up to this elective convention is already gathering momentum.
A prominent member of the Governing Council, Mrs. Nkechi Ali-Balogun, FNIPR is planning to throw her hat into the ring to battle for the position of Presidency. For now, she has expressed her interest in running for election into the Council of the foremost public relations institute in Africa during the Annual General Meeting.
Ali-Balogun, a former, and the first female Chairperson of the Lagos Chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations [NIPR] is bringing her wealth of professional and managerial experience including serving as Chairman of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, Lagos State Chapter, a 2 terms membership of the Council in the highest body of the profession as well as a multi-disciplinary professional experience in client services and public relations consultancy of over 25 years of as one of her competitive edge to her quest to lead the Institute.
With a campaign themed PR: Future Forward and a 10-point major campaign focus which she has summarized under the acronym CRANE geared at creativity, responsiveness, aspirational NIPR, injecting freshness and encompassing, she intends to focus on a digitalized Institute where NIPR will leverage technology in the delivery of her offerings and services.
For instance, running an online curriculum for the Mandatory Continuing Professional Development Programmes [MCPD] as well as online certification of aspiring practitioners the essence of which is the convenience and cost optimization for all stakeholders of the Institute among others.
According to Ali-Balogun, ‘’I am running for this office because I want to continue to dedicate my time, energy, and experience to championing the interests of our Institute.
“As President, my vision for the Institute will be centred on working together to shape the future of public relations and establish our organisation as a trailblazer,’’ she said.