Members of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) will converge on Abuja between August 23 and 25 for the Institute’s 2023 Annual General Meeting and election of a new national executive and members of the Governing Council of the Institute. One of the leading contenders for the position of President of the NIPR is the internationally acclaimed Public Relations practitioner, Fellow of the Institute, former two-term Chairperson of the Lagos State Chapter of the NIPR, and a current serving member of the Governing Council, Nkechi Ali-Balogun. Founder of the annual NECCI Roundtable, a forum that has deepened conversation around development issues and PR practice, Ali-Balogun, who has been a Fellow of the Institute since 2013 and who is chair and member of several committees, including being a member of the Fellows Advisory Board, Compliance Committee and Educational Advisory Board, told HASSAN MOMOH that her desire to contribute significantly to advancing the Public Relations profession is the reason she is seeking to be elected President of the NIPR.
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Why are you in the race for the exalted position of President of NIPR?
Well, running for the office of President of our dear Institute is not a decision that was made lightly. It came after much reflection and consideration. Over the years, I have had the privilege of working alongside many of my colleagues at several levels of the Institute. I have been a fellow of the institute since 2013, served as chapter chairman of one of the most vibrant chapters of the NIPR, which is Lagos and I have served and still serve on several committees and boards. So, I have witnessed firsthand the transformative power of effective communication and strategic public relations. I have seen the positive impact that our collective efforts can have on organisations, communities, and even society at large. It is this profound belief in the value and potential of our profession that has motivated me to aspire to this leadership position.

Having actively participated in the association for several years, I have gained a deep understanding of its mission, objectives, and challenges. I have also had the opportunity to collaborate with many of my colleagues on various projects and initiatives, which has further strengthened my commitment to our shared goals. It is my firm belief that by leading the association, I can contribute significantly to advancing our profession and fostering a vibrant and collaborative community. If elected as the leader of our association, I will dedicate my time, energy, and expertise to championing the interests of our members.

As President, my vision for the Institute will be centred on fostering professional growth, knowledge-sharing, and continuous learning. I will be committed to promoting ethical practices, driving innovation, and addressing the evolving needs of our industry in an ever-changing media landscape. I firmly believe that the time to collectively shape the future of public relations and establish the institute as a trailblazer in the field is now.
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If elected as president, you will become the first female president to head the over six-decade-old Institute. Is this about being the first female president of the NIPR or it is time for change?
It’s both. If you look at my slogan, it says ’NIPR’s future forward.’ I mean, and this is not to say that I do not acknowledge the contributions of the past and present leadership of the institute, but we have been doing the same thing over and over again. The world has gone digital. AI is threatening everybody. So, we must move in line with trends.

It is for me about a renewal, a change. Let us reinvent ourselves. Again, this is not casting aspersions on those who have worked before now. They have done their bits but we are saying let’s take it higher so that we can align with contemporary trends. We can also have that recognisable relevance; until we have that, even the government cannot use us. It is because the journalists have that and people who need publicity or public relations intervention always assign it to them because that is what they understand it to be. It is time for us to let people know who we are, reinvent and repackage ourselves.

The Institute is called Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), which means we must be the national driver of the perception of the brand Nigeria. We are a national body; we are supposed to be regulating the industry but we have quacks all over the place. So, it’s about change: changing the narrative, changing the conversation, renewing the industry, renewing the practice.

…And the question about being the first female President?
There is nothing wrong with that. The Institute must have a sense of inclusivity. It is not a male industry, while the women are not asking for handouts because we are also qualified. We are saying that it is time for a woman, at least, to have a chance to lead that Institute.

Coincidentally, it looks like the world is going female. Look at the banks; a lot of corporate bodies now have women as their CEOs. Some countries have women as their CEOs. So, why not NIPR?
At some point in the life of NIPR, a woman must lead it. So, why can’t that woman be me? I’ve paid my dues. I started as an associate in 1995. From there, I became a member and I was a charter chairman. I led Lagos for four years and my legacy is still there. From there, I became a fellow, from there, a council member. I am the chairman of NIPR flagship programme, Director’s Conference. I think I would say that my PR Roundtable is about the only PR conference and it’s been running for 23 years. I have paid my dues. So, why not me? Why not now?
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So, what will you be doing differently? What will be the road map to professionalise NIPR and change the negative perception about the profession in Nigeria?
First of all, the problem we have is this issue of benefits. What does a carrier of an NIPR certificate benefit? The person with an ICAN certificate is upgraded and given some perks of office but we are still seeking recognisable relevance for our NIPR certificate. So, the first thing we must do is ‘caderization.’ It’s there in my agenda.

We must work on affiliations, so that we can open channels of learning. For instance, why can’t we have our interns going to Public Relation industries to run their internship? And then, we have to update our curriculum. We would seek the support of the government, which they gave us before but just didn’t pursue it. We need to be able to profile who a public relations person is. There’s a past president of NIPR that actually started a recertification and gave each member a number, so that if you are working or dealing with a practitioner and he/she doesn’t have that number, then it’s fake. We will now enforce it.

One of the problems of NIPR is the issue of enforcement. We have everything needed to regulate the industry. So, I am going to enforce a lot of things, it has to be done and I know with the support of our members and stakeholders, we will do it. The public relations consultants are solidly behind me because they too want to change the story.

So, I will continue the great work that our Institute has been doing, while also bringing new ideas and initiatives that will benefit our members and the profession as a whole. I believe that my experience, leadership skills, and dedication to our profession make me the best candidate for this role.
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