President of Nigeria Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Dr Olumide Rotimi, says the task of bailing the country out of her current economic recession rests with Nigerians.

Olumide says also that time has come for Nigerians to change their attitude and mindset about Nigeria and project the positive attributes of the country.

He spoke with newsmen in Umuahia, Abia State, during the 2016 Mandatory Continuing Professional Development (MCPD) programme during which 124 new members were inducted into the institute Monday. Olumide stressed that Nigerians must lead the battle to bail the country out of recession because no foreigner would like Nigeria more than Nigerians.

“When you talk of recession, you need to shore up the economy by attracting foreign investors. You must also change the habit of your people and their mindset. No foreigner will make Nigeria’s economy better. Any foreigner that comes here is looking for money and his own personal benefits. The Nigerian is the only qualified and competent person to change things for Nigeria. That is why all of us must be patriotic, economically,” the NIPR helmsman submitted.

He called on every Nigerian to be a good ambassador of the country by projecting the positive attributes of the country. He observed with dismay that Nigerians are more interested in talking about the negatives of the country, which has helped to give Nigeria a bad image internationally.

To be able to showcase Nigeria’s positives, Olumide said governments at all levels must employ professional public relations practitioners, insisting: “Public Relations must be recognised and appreciated as the only platform and tool to tell our own story.”

“Nigeria as a brand,” he said, “has challenges, locally and internationally. All of us know that we do not talk much about our positive side, we talk more about our negative side and this is a challenge for all of us and this is why the government and individual media must recognise and appreciate public relations because that is the only platform and tool to tell our own story.

“That means that government should start realising that all those who are representing us as Ambassadors or Foreign Service practitioners in other countries must be trained in public relations so that they will be able to know how to manage the nation as a brand. The nation brand should be showcased in terms of our positives in sports, culture, professions, careers and resources.

“We have more than enough positives but unfortunately because of the way we see ourselves, we don’t promote those positives. The countries that we celebrate today, all of them have their negatives. We need to be conscious that we are ambassadors of Nigeria, whether you are in one-man business or a civil servant or anything, you must imbibe some elements of patriotism,” he submitted.

To realise this campaign, he called on governments at all levels to employ professionals, not quacks.

Welcoming participants to the event, the Acting Chairman of Abia chapter of NIPR, Barrister Sam Ogbonna, said it was the first time Abia would be hosting the MCPD.

Ogbonna appealed that members from Abia, given their active participation in NIPR activites, be considered for memberships of Standing Committees since the chapter has no Council member.

Commissioner for Information, Culture and Strategy, Comrade Bonnie Iwuoha, his Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs counterpart, Chief Charles Ogbonnaya; a retired Permanent Secretary and a two-time Council member of NIPR, Chief Felix Erondu, graced the occasion.

•Photo shows NIPR President, Dr Olumide Rotimi.

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