To help Nigeria clean up image NIPR must put house in order – Onyima

The Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) has been advised to put its house in order so as to be in a position to help Nigeria clean up her image.

A seasoned journalist, media technocrat and administrator, Dr Tony Onyima, gave the advice in a paper, ‘Purpose and Profit in Contemporary Public Relations Practice’, he presented at the 2022 Annual General Meeting of NIPR, Anambra State Chapter, held at King David Hotel, Awka, on March 15, 2022.

Dr Onyima described as paradoxical a situation where Nigeria, said to have one of the fastest growing PR markets in the world, would be in need of image make-over.

He said: “The future of PR practice in Nigeria is already here and PR practitioners must be ready to embrace that future. Media Update, a South African based trade publication, has described Nigeria’s PR market as ‘Africa’s most vibrant’, citing the growing number of Nigerian marketing communications agencies appearing on the winner’s list at global festivals and awards such as the Cannes Lions festival.

“Otubanjo et al. (2010) predict that in the near future majority of industry turnover in PR consulting services will be controlled by PRACAN members. Industry watchers say two important trends will drive developments in the industry in the future. One is that technology will continue to change how PR is practiced and the second is that to take advantage of the huge PR market in Nigeria, foreign companies will continue to expand their affiliations with their Nigerian counterparts. This is already happening.

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“To embrace this future, NIPR and her members must commit to do some house cleaning exercise. It is a paradox that a country that has one of the fastest growing PR markets needs an image makeover. But the physicians to do this job must first heal themselves. It is a great irony that perception managers suffer a significant perception blight. NIPR should not continue to play the ostrich over the underhand deals in the profession.

“It is my view that NIPR should urgently commission a consortium of her members to design and execute a perception audit of the industry. The insights gained from such audit should be used to embark on a total rebranding of the institute and the profession.”

According to Onyima, a former Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism in Anambra State, Nigeria is now in the sixth phase of PR evolution, which he christened the “Digitisation Era”, propelled by technological disruptions.

He said digital disruption in Nigeria has “tremendously altered the nation’s media landscape” as it has given birth to the age of bloggers and social media influencers who have ‘stolen’ audiences from traditional media and PR practice.

“About a two decades ago, Nigeria leapfrogged into mobile technology. This has caused great disruption in how we access and consume media content, goods and services. The migration to social media has been unprecedented.

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“According to statista.com, as at January 2021, Nigeria had 33 million active social media users with WhatsApp as the most popular social media platform, followed by Facebook, YouTube and Instagram. This has resulted in a drastic decline in print media readership over time, with Facebook and YouTube now competing with television. What these mean to PR is that press releases and press conferences are no longer as effective as they were during the times of Sam Black, Sam Epelle, Mike Okereke etc. Today, power has shifted from the hands of media companies and PR practitioners to that of the consumer.

“Social media influencers and bloggers are stealing the show from traditional media and PR practitioners. Citizens on social media are constantly challenging the actions and press releases of organisations and government.

“The purpose of PR practice is seriously being questioned. Private and public enterprises are now engaging online celebrities, analysts, bloggers and commentators who have huge fan bases on social media and are not even certified by NIPR and PRACAN. According to one industry expert, the power these influencers wield has nothing to do with their educational or professional accomplishments.

“Changing consumer tastes have inevitably made online reputation management a crucial part of every brand. PR agencies must therefore have a thorough understanding of this emerging digital world and effectively use it to expand their practice,” the former Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of Sun Newspaper in Nigeria elaborated.

However, Dr Onyima said that no matter the perspectives on its history, Public Relations has evolved from being a political propaganda tool to management tactics deployed by private and public enterprises, for the purpose of creating and maintaining mutually-beneficial relationship with the various internal and external publics of an organisation.