The Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) has elected Malam Mukhtar Zubairu Sirajo as its new President at the end of the Institute’ Annual General Meeting, which took place in Umuahia.
Also elected is Comptroller of Customs Wale Adeniyi as Vice President, alongside 15 other members of the Governing Council of the Institute..
The Institute is ran by a 22-member Governing Council made up of 17 elected members and 5 nominees of the Federal Government.
The newly elected members of the Council of Institute include the President and Chairman of Council, Mukhtar Sirajo – Kaduna and Vice President, Adewale Adeniyi – Osun.
Others are Ethel Agbeyegbe – Lagos, Nkechi Ali-Balogun – Lagos, Samuel Oseloka – Rivers, Ibrahim Mohammed – Adamawa, Ohaeri Osondu – FCT, Chinkwe Ikenyi – Abia, Kabiru Aminu Garba – Bauchi, B.A.C. Obiefuna – Anambra, Haroun Audu – Plateau, Akin Ricketts – Cross River, Raphael Abimbola – Ondo, Sule Yau Sule – Kano, Joseph Fanafa – Benue, Emmanuel Dandaura – Nasarawa and Obot Udoette – Akwa Ibom.
The Government nominees include Hajiya Maryam Isa Mele, Alhaji Bola Osifeso, Donald Awunah, Peter Dama and Timothy Oyedeji.
The new President of NIPR, Mr Sirajo had served seven different governors of Kaduna State, both military and civilian as Chief Press Secretary, Special Adviser and Director General (Media & Publicity) between 1992 and 2007.
He also served as Vice President of the Institute from 2013 to 2018.
In his acceptance speech, he committed the new council to the vigorous pursuit of the fight against quackery as well as full compliance with the provisions of Decree 16 of 1990, which criminalizes the practice of PR (both corporate and individual),without certification by the Institute.
While promising to pursue the production of comprehensive membership register as well as the proper placement of PR practitioners in the Public service and private sector among others, Sirajo appealed to practitioners to intensify efforts at exposing themselves to further training given the dynamic nature of the profession in this fast-changing world.
The NIPR president also called on all parts of Nigeria to employ the culture of constant constructive engagement rather than the mistrust and suspicion that seemed to drive some aspects of our national life.
Assuring that the Institute was prepared to partner with governments at all levels as well as nongovernmental outfits in deliberate efforts to solidifying the unity of the country, Sirajo hinted that the Institute would spearhead the convocation of a reputation summit at which such issues and others could be subjected to robust and objective analyses with a view to engendering an atmosphere of peace and national development.
