Yemisi Izuora
The Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, NIPR, would now begin the prosecution of unqualified and fake public relations practitioners in the country.
The President of NIPR, Mallam Mukhtar Sirajo, made the disclosure at press conference on the forthcoming 2019 Annual General Meeting of body in Abuja, with the theme: “Optimizing Public Relations Strategies for National Cohesion.”
Sirajo said the regulatory body had taken some spokespersons and quack image makers, who lack the necessary PR qualification and professional certifications, before the court for bastardising the image of the profession.
The NIPR helmsman noted that the Institute adopted a carrot and stick approach to remedy the desecration and reckless abuse of Nigeria’s PR firmament by persons of other disciplines and professions.
He said: “The Institute is firming up strategies to properly identify its certified members in preparation towards a total crackdown on quacks.
“More codes and identities shall be unveiled and handed over to qualified members at the AGM to further validate their licenses to practice the profession.
“Through the carrot approach, we have been relentlessly in advocating to government, relevant stakeholders and law enforcement agencies to do the right thing.
“Let them ensure that they recruit or appoint persons who are legally certified to practice PR, as their spokespersons.
“As for the stick approach, we have resolved to mercilessly deal with quacks who are masquerading as public relation experts, crisis managers and communication officers.