The Nigeria Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) has agreed in principle to partner with the international award-winning Image Merchants Promotions Limited (IMPR), publishers of PRNigeria and Economic Confidential Magazine for instituting annual national public relations awards to promote excellence in all spheres of life in Nigeria.

Speaking when he hosted the founder of PRNigeria, Yushau Shuaib and management of Image Merchants Promotions Limited over multiple international PR awards they won, the President and Chairman of Council of NIPR, Mallam Mukhtar Zubairu Sirajo said the request for partnership from IMPR was a welcome development, stressing that it would go a long way in celebrating outstanding contributions in the society.

Mallam Sirajo further said that the feats of PRNigeria founder, Yushau Shuaib at the international PR forum were accolades which have made the country proud hence the need to institute such awards at the national level to recognise the outstanding efforts of PR Practitioners.

“I am not surprised at the efforts and feat achieved by Yushau Shuaib in winning multiple SABRE PR Awards of African Public Relations Association (APRA) and Golden World Awards of International Public Relations Association (IPRA) as they have given PR practitioners in Nigeria as well as the country a sense of pride and belonging.

“In fact, for consecutively winning IPRA Awards on Crisis Management in 2016, 2017 and 2018 at the international arena has proven Shuaib to be a worthy ambassador and exceptional crisis manager,” he said.

Sirajo said NIPR welcomes the partnership proposals as it is concerned in building relationships when none exists, stressing that nothing stops the institute from retracing its steps and return to the good old days with innovative programmes and credible activities that would promote PR practice in Nigeria.

He further noted that tribe, geography, and religion sentiment have created a sharp division among diverse Nigerians, noting that introducing the national NIPR awards will inspire the younger generation to break away from the current negative narratives and return the country to its lost glory.

Earlier in his address at the occasion, the Executive Director and Editor-In-Chief of PRNigeria and Economic Confidential Ewache Ajefu had informed the NIPR top management on the achievements recorded by his organization and called for the mutual partnership to make the annual award a reality. He used the occasion to introduce the award-wining writer and crisis communicator, Yushau Shuaib after reading his citation at the event.

Speaking briefly at the occasion, Shuaib pointed out that all the awards were on campaigns he executed for other organisations while he was on retirement from the public service before he was recently reinstated.

“I am short of words to explain the facts that those awards were garnered for PR programmes we initiated and executed for various agencies in security and intelligence sectors while I was on forceful retirement before my recent recall to the public service.

“But meanwhile, I have a firm conviction that PRNigeria and NIPR’s synergy will yield tremendous benefits and remarkable successes,” he said

Highlights of the occasion included slide presentations by Shuaib on several processes leading to the various international PR awards and presentation of his latest book “Boko Haram Media War: An Encounter with the Spymaster.”

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