The Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) Tuesday inducted 24 new members into the institute just as the Minister for Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris inaugurated its 2023-2025 Governing Board.
Among those inaugurated as members of the institute were the former spokesman for the House of Representatives and current Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, to the President of the Senate, Hon. Eseme Eyiboh.
Also initiated into the institute was the Senior Special Assistant on Strategic Communications (Communications Adviser to the President of ECOWAS), Linda Akhigbe, Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Abdulaziz Abdulaziz and Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Deputy Senate President, Ismail Mudashir.
The institute also admitted the Director General (Press Affairs) to the Governor of Gombe State, Mallam Ismaila UBA Misilli and top media and public relations managers in the government and private sector.
In his address at the occasion, the Information Minister, urged the NIPR Governing Council to work towards professionalising the institute and acting within the provisions of the law establishing it in order to end quackery in the profession.
He urged the new inductees to strive to build a better reputation for Nigeria stressing that “Reputation was one of the key pillars on nation building”.
Idris disclosed that he was “Impressed with the initiatives and programmes of the current Council led by Dr. Ike Neliaku, as contained in a document presented to me earlier before this event. I firmly believe that if we’ll implemented, they have the potential to transform both the institute and the country into a global reputational hub”.
While administering oath on the inductees, the National President of NIPR, Dr. Ike Neliaku said the institute stood for excellence and professionalism stressing that the era of quacks operating in the industry was over.
He said they have activated the compliance department of the institute to ensure that the NIPR Act of 2007 was fully complied with.
Neliaku disclosed that the institute had written to all government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) educating them on the need to comply with the provision of the law and desist from appointing non-professionals to man their communications and public relations units and departments.