Yemisi Izuora
The Publisher of the Blog, Epa.com, and Executive VP of iNSDEC LTD/GTE, Epa Ogie Eboigbe, has been presented with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award by the Lagos Chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, NIPR.
The award ceremony took place last Friday December 13, 2024, at the Muson Centre, Lagos, during the Institute’s 9th Lagos Public Relations Industry Gala & Awards (LaPRIGA), with the theme, “The Shining Stars”.
During the ceremony, over 20 organisations and individuals were honoured with awards in different categories, ranging from Agency of the Year, Practitioner of the Year, Best Brand in different fields, including Technology, Education, Crisis & Risk Communication, Entertainment, Sustainability, Innovation, Corporate and Internal Communications, Governance, Community Relations, Professionalism, PR Journalist of the Year, as well as Lifetime Achievement and Contributions to the Growth of Public Relations.
The Chairman of the Institute’s Lagos Chapter, Mrs. Comfort Obot-Nwankwo said the Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Epa Eboigbe “to acknowledged and celebrate your contributions to the Chapter and the Institute at large.”
Eboigbe joined the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, NIPR, Lagos Chapter, as an Associate Member in 1988 and having become a full member, was instituted as a Fellow in 2001.
He has served the Lagos Chapter as Public Relations Officer and Vice-Chairman, and also chaired several ad-hoc committees like the AGM organising committee. He was admitted into the International Public Relations Association, IPRA in 2000 and had attended several PR World Congresses, including Chicago 2000 and Istanbul 2005.
His 50-year media and communications career features about 10 years with Radio Nigeria during which he served as State House Correspondent, Foreign Affairs Correspondent and Senior News Editor, and then 4 years with the Voice of America, VOA, before he became Public Affairs Officer in the Canadian High Commission, Lagos in 1987. Some years later, he joined the Canadian Trade Commissioners Service, as Trade Commissioner, a role he combined with the Public Affairs function. He then joined UBA plc in 1995.
An Author and Communications specialist, Eboigbe retired in December 2005 from UBA Plc where he was two-time Head of Corporate Affairs & Brand Management, with stints also in Energy Group, Consumer Marketing, Branch Management, Product Development and as Secretary/Head of UBA Foundation.
As Head of Corporate Affairs of UBA, he was in 1996, one of the pioneers and Exco in the establishment of ACAMB, the Association of Corporate Affairs Managers of Banks, an affiliate of NIPR and is still today an active Trustee of ACAMB.
Known fondly as Epa, 70-year-old multi-talented Ogie Eboigbe, has held membership, (past and present), of Nigerian Economic Summit Group Governance & Institutions Policy Commission; Nigerian Union of Journalists; Athletics Federation of Nigeria Marketing & Finance Committee; Public Affairs Committees of Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria and West Africa Bankers Association; Synergy Alliance Inc; Anglo-Nigerian Welfare Association for the Blind, ANWAB; and Broadcasters Group of Nigeria, BGN.
He is the author of the book, ‘Epa Don Come – An Odyssey With The Elder’, and is also currently Executive Vice-President, iNSDEC LTD/GTE, a Research, Data, Analysis and Communication non-profit that runs the Yaba AI Hub and provides training for SMEs in the use of AI for Business, Financial Modelling, Corporate Governance, Risk Management and Risk Communication; Chairman/CEO of Raimundo & Barclay Limited; and Chairman, Contemporary Architecture Limited.