By: Felix Ikpotor
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has called on public relations practitioners in the country to begin to think on how to use their expertise and wealth of experience to repair the battered image of Nigeria.
Wike spoke on Thursday at the 2021 Conference/Annual General Meeting of the Nigeria Institute of Public Relations, NIPR, Rivers State Chapter with the theme: “Nigeria’s Security Situation: A Factor in Reputation and National Development”.
Represented by the Secretary to State Government, Dr Tammy Wenike Danagogo, Wike noted that Nigeria use to be treated as a big-brother in Africa and the world but the situation has changed due to insecurity and other vices that are prevalent in the country.
“Nigeria was regarded as a big-brother in Africa and even in the world as our armed forces was involved in peace-keeping missions. Today all that has changed drastically, the citizens are asking which way the country is going.
We should be talking about how public relations and media practitioners can make the country leaders sit up to face the challenges of the time”.
He added: “You have a crucial role to play in terms of advising the government at all levels including corporate bodies on the need to reposition this country if we must all survive. We urge you public relations officers and media managers to use your expertise to see to the revitalization, reinvigoration and revamping of whatever is left of our national image. All hands must be on deck, especially reputation managers to call on government at all levels to begin to act in ways and manner that will help to revive the battered image of this country,”
The governor recommended public relations practitioners and media managers must act fast and call on government to address the security challenges plaguing the nation.
He said the state government has put in place several measures to fight insecurity such
in his welcome address, Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Pastor Paulinus Nsirim, who is also the state chapter chairman of NIPR, commended the cordial relationship existing between the institute and the state government under the leadership of Governor Wike.
“Governor Wike has been very supportive of all the activities of the Institute. That is what you also get from a visionary leader who has changed the landscape of Rivers State with infrastructure, with various developmental projects that touch the lives of the ordinary man,” he said.
Nsirim said the state chapter was proud to associate with Governor Wike for the giant strides he has recorded and would continue to record until the end of his tenure in 2023.
“As a chapter that is responsive to the development of Nigeria, we have chosen the theme for this year’s conference as our own way of contributing to the national discourse,” he said.
He said the conference would produce a blueprint that would guide national discourse and urged participants to contribute robustly to the conversation.
“It is expected that the fallout of the conference will re-engineer national security and national development with the aim to put our country on the path of rapid growth,” he said.
On his part, President and Chairman of Governing Council of NIPR, Malam Mukhtar Sirajo, emphasised on the need for all Nigerians to collaborate to fight insecurity currently facing the country’s economic and political stability.
He said the theme of the conference was apt as the institute had gotten sufficient worry about national security, peace and economic development.
In his keynote address, Dr. Ike Neliaku, chronicled the increasing violent crimes that had claimed thousands of lives in the various parts of Nigeria, and submitted that the rising insecurity situation in the country had impacted and would continue to impact negatively on corporate and national reputation.
He said the worrisome development would have concomitant consequence on individual and national development.
Chairman of the conference, King Felix Otuwarikpo, said the conference was put together to dissect the current carnage affecting the Nigerian nation.
“As an institute, we will leverage on the conference to proffer solutions to the security challenges affecting the nation,” he said.
The conference also featured the presentation of awards for good public relations and community development to some distinguished members and organisations.
