NIPR, US Embassy Partner to Deepen US-Nigeria Relations
The Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) has assured the Embassy of the United States of America (USA) of its commitment to promoting a robust US-Nigeria relationship.
The President of NIPR, Dr Ike Neliaku, made the remark when he received the US Press Attache to Nigeria, Mr Robert Gabor, on a courtesy call at the institute’s Office in Abuja.
Dr. Neliaku who commended the diplomat for attending recent activities of NIPR said public relations practice is a profession that is central to diplomatic relations, stakeholders’ engagement, event management and image building.
Neliaku who was recently elected as NIPR President said one of his missions is to ensure that corporate organisations and public institutions stop engaging “quacks” to serve as their public relations managers.
“As a professional body entrusted with the responsibility of managing reputation, relationships and regulating the practice of public relations in Nigeria, we are poised to lend our professional expertise towards sanitising the business of image management.
“We are calling on organisations to respect and comply with the law that established the NIPR by engaging registered and licensed professionals to handle their image, reputation and manage crises.
Earlier in his remarks, Mr Gabor congratulated Neliaku on his recent election as NIPR President and for his visionary ideas towards repositioning the Public Relations profession in the country.
He said as a Press Attache, he had attended some recent activities hosted by NIPR and was excited with what he witnessed. He then promised to partner and sustain a relationship with NIPR towards improving the US-Nigeria relationship in various sectors.
He said that at the embassy level, they deploy different channels to explain American diplomacy to the Nigerian people and the civil society groups.
“The diplomacy we do in government to government is done behind closed-doors, while we also issue press releases and host press conferences for better understanding of our work here, especially on the US-Nigeria relationship.
“We hope that a relationship with NIPR as a professional body will further enhance better understanding of the existing healthy relations between our countries.
“I appreciate what you do as professionals and appreciate your organisation as a partner to us. I am here to deepen the partnership,” he concluded.
By PRNigeria
