Idris welcomes MoU for establishment of PR degree academy, election of Ibietan @APRA - ITREALMS

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The Federal Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, has welcomed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations and the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management, for the proposed establishment of a degree-awarding academy for public relations practice in Nigeria, reports ITREALMS.

This is coming as the Federal Civil Service now has 'Information and Public Relations Officer' designate.

In a letter to the Nigeria Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), sighted by 
ITREALMS, Idris said that he equally welcomed the recent election of a Nigerian, Dr. Omoniyi Ibietan, as the Secretary-General of the African Public Relations Association (APRA).

Disclosing that Public Relations (PR) has now been designated as a cadre in the Federal Civil Service, with effect from December 2023.

"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," he said.

Nigeria, he said, will continue to play a leading role in strengthening and elevating public relations practice at home and across Africa, recalling that during a recent visit by the APRA president. Mr. Arik Karani, he had commended Nigeria in this regard.

"[Nigeria] was, for the longest time, the only country in Africa that had a law that professionalized public relations. It was Nigeria that started it on the continent, and only last year did Zambia come out with its own 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," Karani was quoted as saying.

This, Idris, said was an encouraging remarks, assuring that the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will continue to provide the enabling environment for everybody within Nigeria's communications industry to thrive.

Uboshe Uboshe/Editor