The Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) has inaugurated a technical team to scrutinize the recently signed Samoa Agreement and its implications for Nigeria. This was announced by the NIPR President and Chairman of the Council, Ike Neliaku, during the agency’s Special Diamond Anniversary Induction for Media and Allied Practitioners in Abuja on Thursday.
The event also saw the induction of 540 journalists and allied media practitioners from various notable organizations, including the Nigerian Television Authority, African Independent Television, News Agency of Nigeria, Voice of Nigeria, Channels TV, and the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, as new associate members of the NIPR.
Neliaku emphasized the importance of understanding the agreement’s impact on the nation’s reputation and its citizens. “The institute decided to set up a technical team of experts to study the Samoa agreement and come up with the reputation and perception implication of signing that agreement to Nigeria as a nation and to the citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he stated.
Highlighting the crucial role of the nation’s reputation, Neliaku added, “What is important to us is the reputation of our country. The perception of our country, because our reputation is our core asset. And this is what we have done. The NIPR has assembled a team of experts, including lawyers, scientists, and professional engineers, to undertake this task.”
He assured that the committee would commence its work immediately and provide the government with recommendations based on their findings. “Therefore, this committee will start work tomorrow and at the end of the day, we will advise the government on the reputational implications of what has happened. So that where we need to re-navigate, we will re-navigate,” Neliaku explained.
The analysis will focus on three core values: professional, reputational, and financial. “There are three values we pry on, as the case may be. The first is professional value. What professional value does the Samoa Agreement offer Nigeria? The second is reputational value. And third is the financial value,” he added. Neliaku further stressed the importance of prioritizing reputation over financial gain, saying, “You see that financial value is number three and not number one because when your reputation is intact, when your professionalism is valid, resources will flow naturally.”
In addition to this initiative, the NIPR plans to hold a series of discussions with former Ministers of Information. “I want to tell the Chairman of FCT, who is the Director of Public Relations, that we have accepted your challenge that the institute will convene fireside chats with all former ministers of information. We want you to come and sit down and share with practitioners because listening to you this afternoon, you have shared your different perspectives,” Neliaku announced.
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