By Kingsley Agim
The President and Chairman of Governing Council, Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Mallam Mukhtar Sirajo has enjoined Nigerians Youths to shape up towards enthroning a new vision for Nigeria that would be devoid of ethnicity, religious and tribal sentiments.
Mallam Sirajo, who stated this when he spoke as special guest of honour at the 10th anniversary celebration of the Cross River State Chapter's annual flagship Public Relations orientation programme -"Children's Day with NIPR" held at the palatial Senate Chambers of the University of Calabar, Cross River State, pointed out that Nigeria as a nation is currently heading dangerously towards a collapse, adding that something urgent must be done to reshape our mindset and psyche towards enthroning a new vision for the country and her people.
"I want to see us as a people return to the old times when nobody ask you where you are from before offerring you a job; a Nigeria where ethnicity,tribe and religion is not a basis for anything we need, a Nigeria where you can be appointed or voted into office to serve the people in any part of the country",your capacity to deliver should be the main basis, the NIPR President enthused.
"I can remember in those days when Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe - an Igbo man - contested for Premier of the Western Region", adding that he would like to have a Nigeria where one can freely aspire to any position in any part of the country, without ethicity, tribe and/or religiion being a criteria at any level of our development as a nation," the NIPR President further remarked.
The NIPR President posited that the Leadership of the country since independence has failed the people by the continued promotion of ethnicism and religious bigotry and sued for a change for the over all interest of future Nigerians.
In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary,Cross River State Ministry of Information & Orientation, Dr. Aye Henshaw II lauded the initiative of orientating the children in the Public Relations discipline, emphasizing that children are the future hope of Nigeria.
Represented by Mr. Michael Nyajor, Director of Publlic Relations in the Ministry, Dr. Henshaw II congratulated the State Chapter of NIPR for sustaining the Children's programme and assured the Institute of the State Government's commitment towards the promotion of best practices in governance as well as Public Relations ideals.
In his speech, the Chairman of the occasion, Prof. Chris Ogbondah, commended Cross River Chapter of NIPR for extending professional guidance beyond the tertiary institutions to the secondary school students, a development, he maintained, will help shape the younger ones as prospective Public Relations Professionals.
The renowned Professor of Journalism at the University of Northern Iowa, USA, who described Public Relations as "a two-way communication between an organization and members of its publics," noted that the profession has evolved over time and Practitioners must brace up with contemporary practice of the profession.
Prof. Ogbondah stated that just as technology has made PR practice more exciting through radio, television, podcast, and the multiplicity channels on the World Wide Web; it also poses challenges of tuning out the noises – fake news, fake websites – and how to choose from the most effective medium for effective communication.
The keynote Speaker on the theme of the 10th anniversary "Public Relations Profession and Career Opportunities", Mr. Benedict Okache, tutored participants on the nitty-gritties of the Public Relations Profession ranging from the Meaning of Public Relations and Career Opportunities, who a Public Relations Practitioner is,criteria for membership of the Institute and categories of membership, Qualities of a professional Public Relations Practitioner, Public Relations Tools, etc.
Mr. Okache enjoined students to put in their best effort in the study of the discipline, noting that the profession is a 'goldmine', where limitless opportunities abound.
Earlier in her welcome address, the Cross River State Chairman of NIPR, Ntunkae Offiong Ani Offiong stated that 'Children's Day with NIPR,' which started in 2008, during the tenure of Chief Frank Hogan, is one of the chapter's flagship programmes aimed at creating awareness amongst Senior Secondary School Students on the need to study Mass Communication in tertiary institutions and subsequently make a career in Public Relations.
Ntunkae Offiong noted that since the implementation of the 2009 edition of Children's Day with NIPR, the programme has recorded the following modest achievements: increased awareness among Secondary School Students about Mass Communication as a course of study in tertiary institutions in Cross River State; establishment of Mass Communication Department in the University of Calabar through awareness creation and continuous contact with students and management of the University.
Other achievements are introduction of workshop-format training for Secondary School Student in the State; established and sustained a symbiotic relationship between the Chapter, Secondary Schools and Tertiary Institutions in the State; and increased enrolment of Mass Communication Students in tertiary institutions in the State.
The State Chairman further quipped that the need for establishing students' wing in both the University of Calabar and Cross River University of Technology became imperative due to the yearnings and aspirations of the undergraduate students who attended Children's Day with NIPR since its inception as observers.
She lauded the express approval granted the Institute by the Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar (UNICAL), Prof. Zana Akpagu and his out-gone counterpart at the Cross River University of Technology (CRUTECH), Prof. Anthony Owan-Enoh, for the establishment of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations Students' Association (NIPRESA) in both institutions, while congratulating the pioneer Executives of NIPRESA of both UNICAL and CRUTECH.
The State NIPR Chairman, on behalf of the Chapter, also acknowledged Prof. Chris Ogbondah for chairing the occasion, the NIPR President, Mallam Mukhtar Sirajo for always being supportive of the Chapter; immediate past President of NIPR, Dr. Rotimi Oladele for donating story books to the students and Mr. Peter Oyenye for gifting Public Relations books to the Chapter.
The UNICAL NIPRESA Wing Executive will be led by Comrade Godswill John Udoh as President, ably assisted by Emmanuel Ekanem as Vice President, while Comrade Divine Inyang and Hope Oyeamaechi will lead the CRUTECH Wing Executives as President and Vice respectively.
Prof. Offiong Ani Offiong - Dean, Faculty of Communication Technology, University of Calabar, Dr. Rotimi Oladele -- immediate past NIPR President, Chief Frank Hogan -- immediate past Chairman, Cross River State Chapter of NIPR, Benedict Okache, Keynote Speaker and Vice Chairman, Cross River State Chapter of NIPR, Henshaw Town Secondary School, Calabar and Edgerly Memorial Girls Secondary School, Calabar, were all deserving recipients of the Institute's awards for their meritorious service and contribution to humanity.
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