Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Comrade Abu Nmodu has described as erroneous the notion that NUJ members particularly the Information Officers under the State Ministry of Information and Strategy are not professionally qualified to practice Public Relations.
He stated this during an interface with the officials of the Nigeria Institute of Public Relations, NIPR, who paid a courtesy visit at the IBB Pen House in Minna today, 16th February, 2024.
He said public relations practice is an aspect of journalism rooted in unbundled mass communication stressing that the practice of journalism plays a dual role as an industrial and professional body.
“To a great extent, it does not mean that our members who are carrying out PR jobs are not qualified to do that. I will disagree if somebody says they are not capable of practicing, ” the Chairman stressed.
Comrade Abu Nmodu, who recounted a brief history of the NIPR, noted that the Institute was established by decree No. 16 in 1990, which makes the Institute different from the NUJ but has various areas of intersection, especially in the aspect of creating image for a brand.
He noted that while NIPR members create images for a brand, the vehicle to make the image out to the public is journalism and with basic ethical codes for enhanced professionalism.
He described the code of ethics of journalism as broad and all-encompassing, including how to Practice Public Relations unlike the Code of Ethics of Public Relations, which was specific about brand creation.
The Chairman emphasised that the PR practitioners must partner with a journalism counterpart in order to ventilate the window brand and image creation.
While assuring the officials of the unflinching support and partnership, the Chairman advised NIPR to strengthen their membership drive along symbiotic synergy with the NUJ.
Earlier, the leader of the delegation, Mr. Akin Agbejule said the aim of the visit was to seek a collaboration between NUJ and the NIPR.
He intimated the Chairman on the activities of the Institute, adding that the body was poised to opening a new chapter of pursuing its professional objectives.
Agbejule solicited for strategic and professional synergy for a robust exploration of PR content in order to have a better delivery to the society.
He further intimated the Chairman that the Institute will be holding it’s Conference and Annual General Meeting (AGM) by next week Tuesday, 20th February, 2024 and therefore solicited for the full participation of the NUJ.
