Minister of information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has welcomed the plan to establish a degree-awarding academy for public relations practice in Nigeria.
He also said Public Relations (PR) has been designated as a cadre in the Federal Civil Service, effect from December, 2023.
The minister stated in a press statement, dated 29 June, 2024, that he welcomed the idea of such a degree-awarding academy.
The Nigerian Institute of Public Relations and the Global Alliance for Public Relations reportedly signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish the academy.
The minister expressed delight at the recent election of Dr Omoniyi Ibietan as the Secretary-General of the African Public Relations Association (APRA).
“I equally welcome the recent election of a Nigerian, Dr. Omoniyi Ibietan, as the Secretary-General of the African Public Relations Association (APRA).
“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 Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) played a critical role in championing this, and deserve commendation,” he said.
The minister said Nigeria will continue to play a leading role in strengthening and elevating public relations practice at home and across Africa.
“Recently, when I received the President of the APRA, Mr. Arik Karani, he commended Nigeria in this regard,” he said.
Quoting the APRA president, he said: “[Nigeria] was, for the longest time, the only country in Africa that had a law that professionalised 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 professionalising public relations is at the second reading in Parliament.”
The Minister of Information and Orientation described the statement by the APRA president as encouraging remarks.
“The President Bola Tinubu administration will continue to provide the enabling environment for everybody within Nigeria’s communications industry to thrive”, he said.
