The Nigeria Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) says it plans to partner with the international award-winning Image Merchants Promotions Ltd, (IMPR) to promote excellence in all spheres of life.
The IMPR are the publishers of PRNigeria and Economic Confidential Magazine for instituting annual national public relations awards.
The President and Chairman of Council of NIPR, Malam Mukhtar Sirajo, said the request for partnership with IMPR was a welcome development, stressing that it would go a long way in celebrating outstanding contributions in the society.
He said this on Thursday in Abuja when he hosted the founder of PRNigeria, Mr Yushau Shuaib and the management of Image Merchants Promotions Limited over multiple international PR awards they won.
Sirajo said the feats of Shuaib, the PRNigeria founder at the international PR forum deserves accolades because he made the country proud.
He added that there was the need to institute such awards at the national level to recognise outstanding efforts of public relations practitioners.
“I am not surprised at the efforts and feat achieved by Shuaib, in winning multiple SABRE PR Awards of African Public Relations Association (APRA) and Golden World Awards of International Public Relations Association (IPRA).
“The awards have given PR practitioners in Nigeria and the country a sense of pride and belonging.
“In fact, winning IPRA awards on Crisis Management in 2016, 2017 and 2018 consecutively at the international arena, has proven Shuaib to be a worthy ambassador and exceptional crisis manager,” he said.
Sirajo added that the NIPR welcomes the partnership proposals because it would help in building relationships.
He stressed that nothing stops the institute from retracing its steps and return to the good old days with innovative programmes and credible activities that would promote PR practice in the country.
He, however, noted that tribe, geography, and religion sentiments had created a sharp division among diverse Nigerians.
He noted further that introducing the national NIPR awards would inspire the younger generations to break away from the current negative narratives and return the country to its lost glory.
Earlier, the Executive Director and Editor-In-Chief of PRNigeria and Economic Confidential, Mr Ewache Ajefu, informed the NIPR management of the achievements recorded by his organisation.
He expressed optimism that the partnership would make the annual award a reality.
In his remarks, Shuaib pointed out that the awards were on campaigns he executed for other organisations while he was on retirement from the public service before his recent reinstatement.
“I am short of words to explain the facts that those awards were garnered for PR programmes we initiated and executed for security and intelligence agencies while I was on forceful retirement before my recent reinstatement.
“But, I have a firm conviction that PRNigeria and NIPR’s synergy will yield tremendous benefits and remarkable successes,” he said
Highlights of the occasion include: slide presentations by Shuaib on several processes leading to the various international PR awards and presentation of his latest book “Boko Haram Media War, An Encounter with the Spymaster“.
