Ike Neliaku, an aspirant for the presidency of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), says he will work towards establishing a Public Relations University in Nigeria if elected.

He also promised to build a befitting national headquarters in Abuja to be known as “Nigerian Reputation House.”

Mr Neliaku made the promises in an interview with journalists on his aspiration to lead the institute.

The election for the national officers of the NIPR is slated for 24 August.

He said the university, which will be the first of its kind in Africa, will train public relations experts because the profession is vital to the country’s development.

Mr Neliaku stated that feasibility and viability studies will first be conducted for the establishment of the institution just as he would “expand the curriculum of, and transform the current, education advisory board into a Public Relations School, to be a finishing school for PR practitioners in Nigeria and a prelude to Public Relations University of Nigeria.”

He expressed sadness that the NIPR is still headquartered in a rented building in Abuja 60 years after it was established.

He said if elected, he would ensure that the national secretariat is relocated from the present facility to a more befitting place, after which the process for erecting a national secretariat for the institute would be pursued since it has already acquired land in the federal capital.

“God so kind, we were able to secure land from the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, for the national secretariat of the institute. But before that is done, we just must relocate from the plaza where we are to somewhere that is more befitting.

“This is because public relations is an image-making thing. It is a perception management platform. You can’t build a reputation if your reputation has not been sorted out. You can’t make an image if you don’t have an image yourself,” he said.

Mr Neliaku, a former ministerial aide, also pledged to overhaul the national secretariat “in terms of quality of staff, in terms of where it is located, in terms of activities, in terms of equipping it and in terms of repackaging it, because that is our first foot forward.”

On professional development, the aspirant, a Fellow of the NIPR, said he would ensure the completion of the ongoing “cadreisation” process initiated by the outgoing leadership to strengthen public relations practice in the public and private sectors.

He said, “We now have to complete it so that people can actually be happy to work as Public Relations officers in government in the private sector so that when they retire, they can use it; they are certified by the Institute, they can retire as PR consultants and become PR experts all over the world.”

He also said he “will ensure that the institute gives value addition to its members, both in terms of programmes and in terms of development,” adding, “That is very key, because most times, people ask ‘what do we gain?”

Mr Neliaku said he would also ensure the digitisation of the NIPR’s operations by establishing an electronic database system to effectively manage information related to the institute’s members in real-time nationwide.

He also promised to empower state chapters of NIPR to make them viable and sustainable, strengthen the rank and status of the Fellows and initiate a concrete revenue generation drive.

Mr Neliaku, who holds a doctorate in development studies, assured that he could turn things around for the institute if elected.

“Looking at the dynamics of what is to be done, and knowing that I’m skilled and gifted in most of those areas, I have shown interest. Most importantly, you cannot lead people unless they want you to lead them.

“I have a very vibrant chapter that has called on me to come out. They felt I should be encouraged to run for this office. I must be honest, and I must give it to them that they were the ones that started the process.

“The capacity is there, the understanding of what is required is there, the right emotional intelligence is there. In terms of the network, it is there. In terms of enjoying the respect of your colleagues, it is there. I will be denying the institute the great opportunity to turn things around,” he said.

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