The Head of Service of the Federation, Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan has been conferred with an honorary Fellowship by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR).
She was conferred with the honorary fellowship by NIPR President and Chairman of Council, Dr. Ike Neliaku, during the commemoration of the 2024 World Public Relations Day with a lecture in Abuja.
According to Neliaku, the Head of Service earned the honour for her role in the designation of Public Relations as a cadre in public service across the country.
Stakeholders at the event harped on the need for the professionalisation of public relations as well as the need to incorporate technology in PR practice.
NIPR Vice President, Prof. Emmanuel Dandaura, in his interaction with journalists, said the event highlighted the value public relations brings to humanity and the value communication brings to strengthening peaceful and harmonious co-existence in society.
With the theme “The Future of Public Relations in a Changing World: Journey in the Nigerian Federal Civil Service,” Prof. Dandaura said public relations has evolved over time to a stage where it has become a leadership level, adding that leaders across the world need public relations as a tool to succeed.
He further noted that the series of changes taking place in the world of public relations has made it necessary for the Institute to prepare its members and equip them with tools that would keep them relevant in providing solutions that can support leadership.
He said NIPR has developed capacity programmes that members can leverage to keep pace with today’s PR practice.
His words: “We have a series of trainings as an institute that we have lined up, both in the areas of technology, including artificial intelligence and changing dynamics in communication, all targeted at future-proofing the practice of public relations.
“We have chosen to look at what is happening at the Federal Civil Service, and I am happy that our guest speaker has proposed some of the solutions he thinks we need to put in place for public relations to play an effective role in the Federal Public Service,” he noted.
In his speech, the guest speaker, Otunba, the Venerable Olufemi Oyawale (Rtd), said there is a need to embrace automation as artificial intelligence is gearing up towards dominating the future, causing job losses, especially among the low-skilled workforce, noting that the acquisition of tech skills for everyone is now compulsory.
“PR practitioners in government, the private sector, and the armed forces must be trained and retrained for acceptable performance.
“They now have to master the modern media, working relentlessly on social media, corporate websites, coding, and robotics. Dependable feedback, which is a very vital component of public relations, must be put in place as well as implemented.
“Diploma, first, and second degrees alone will not suffice. Therefore, universities and other institutions offering public relations, communication, and journalism courses will have to upgrade or be phased out,” he noted.
The Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Dr Folashade Yemi-Esan, said in her remarks that the Nigerian civil service has moved far ahead of where it used to be through the implementation of various reforms and innovations brought into the system.
She noted that the service under her leadership has recognised the imperative of effective and responsible communication and has done a lot to foster collaboration with private sector partners to create a framework to communicate its programmes and activities.
She urged the institute to continue to partner with the service to achieve its transformation.
World Public Relations Day is celebrated on July 16th across the globe to celebrate the impact and importance of public relations in the interconnected world
It is celebrated on the birthday of Ivy Lee, the father of modern public relations, in honour of his legacy and pioneering contributions to the field.
END
