Minister Welcomes NIPR’s Plan to Launch Academy with Global Alliance for PR, Ibietan Elections
Mohammed Idris, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, has expressed delight over the plans by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) to launch an academy through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management.
In a statement over the weekend, Minister Idris hailed the establishment of a degree-awarding academy for public relations practice in Nigeria as a welcome development. He also congratulated Dr. Omoniyi Ibietan, a Nigerian, on his election as the newly appointed Secretary-General of the African Public Relations Association (APRA).
The new APRA Executive Council includes Arik Karani from Kenya as President, Dr. Michele Mekeme from Cameroon as Vice President, and Dr. Omoniyi Ibietan from Nigeria as Secretary-General.
The Minister stated:
“I welcome the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations 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 Dr. Omoniyi Ibietan as the Secretary-General of the African Public Relations Association (APRA).”
He highlighted a significant development in the federal civil service:
“Public Relations (PR) has now been designated as a cadre in the Federal Civil Service, effective 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 deserves commendation.”
Minister Idris emphasized Nigeria’s leadership in public relations across Africa:
“Nigeria will continue to play a leading role in strengthening and elevating public relations practice at home and across Africa. When I recently received the President of the African Public Relations Association, Mr. Arik Karani, he commended Nigeria’s efforts in this regard.”
He added, “For the longest time, Nigeria was the only country in Africa that had a law professionalizing public relations. It was Nigeria that initiated this on the continent, and only last year did Zambia enact its own law. Now, we have two countries on the continent, with Kenya’s bill for professionalizing public relations currently in its second reading in Parliament.”
Minister Idris assured that the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will continue to support the communications industry:
“Rest assured that the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will continue to provide an enabling environment for everyone within Nigeria’s communications industry to thrive.”
