Information Minister Commends NIPR For Establishing Degree-Awarding PR Academy In Nigeria
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris has hailed the Memorandum of Understanding (Mou) signed between the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) and the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management, to establish a degree-awarding academy for public relations practice in Nigeria.
He also welcomed the recent election of a Nigerian, Dr. Omoniyi Ibietan, as the Secretary-General of the African Public Relations Association (APRA).
The Minister expressed this delight while hosting the President of the Global Alliance for Public Relations.
In his words, “Also worthy of note is the fact that Public Relations (PR) has now been designated as a cadre in the Federal Civil Service, with effect from December 2023. The Information Officer Cadre has been re-designated to ‘Information and Public Relations Officer Cadre’, and the Executive Cadre to ‘Executive Officer (Information and Public Relations)’. The NIPR played a critical role in championing this, and deserve commendation.
“Nigeria will continue to play a leading role in strengthening and elevating public relations practice at home and across Africa. Recently, when I received the President of the African Public Relations Association, Mr. Arik Karani, he commended Nigeria in this regard.” He assured.
During the visit, he also pledged the commitment of the Tinubu Administration to create the enabling environment for the media and public relations to thrive in the country.
“Be 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.”
The Minister is hopeful that with the entrenchment of public relations in Nigeria and Africa, the continent would be aspiring to occupy top positions in the Global Alliance for Public Relations.
In his remarks, the President of the African Public Relations Association (APRA), Mr. Arik Karani, praised Nigeria for trailing the blaze in public relations as the first country in Africa to enact a law that professionalize public relations practice.
He said APRA would copy the example of Nigeria with a view to promoting the enactment of public relations legislations in other African countries.
“This is for the longest time the only country in Africa that had a law that professionalize public relations. It was Nigeria that started it on the continent and only last year that Zambia came out with the 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. We are also taking note not only in terms of reputation and communication but how we can replicate it across Africa,” he said.
On his part, President of Global Alliance for Public Relations, Mr. Justin Green, said he is in Nigeria to celebrate the successes of NIPR in Africa and that the Alliance had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Institute to establish a degree-awarding academy for public relations practice in the country.