Malam Mukhtar Sirajo, the President of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), has urged the newly inducted 171 members of the institute to build peace bridges and cement relationships among Nigerians.
Sirajo, who made the call during the induction of the new members in Abuja on Tuesday, said Nigeria was going through a situation where peace bridges needed to be built.
He said public relations practitioners must strive to solve problems rather than attempt to hide or aggravate prevailing ones.
The president said Nigeria was going through situations and moments that would require the coming together of all right thinking people for her to refocus.
He said this would enable Nigerians to think as one people and move on to harness the diversity that God, in His wisdom, bestowed on the country for the progress of the citizenry.
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“But a situation where that diversity, rather than being harnessed, is being misused to divide us and knock our heads together does not augur well for us all.
“So as public relations people who build relationships even where they do not exist and who mend relationships when they crack, we must not be found anywhere near what is happening.
“Wherever we are seen we must be building relationships or mending them.
“But we must not be seen where relationships are being destroyed; we always manage crises and do not produce them or give birth to them.
“Of course we anticipate them. We scan environment, we analyse situations, we even predict crisis but we do not pray for it. If it happens we must be on top of it, not aggravate it,” he stated.
Sirajo, who described the profession as one of integrity and excellence, urged the inductees to be good ambassadors of the profession in whatever they did or did not do.
He advised them to always read and constantly update and upgrade their knowledge, to be abreast with new trends and development, especially in the profession.
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The president urged the inductees to attend the mandatory continuing professional development courses which would help them grow in the profession.
Mr Sule Yau Sule, Chairman, Membership Services Committee of the institute, urged the inductees to preserve, defend, profess and uphold the laws, code of ethics and professional standards of the institute.
Sule stressed the need for the members’ good relationship with the media particularly because of the role the media played in public relations.
According to him, members’ conduct towards the media means much more as far as the profession is concerned.
NAN reports that 171 new members were inducted into the NIPR. (NAN)
