The President of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, Ike Neliaku, on Friday urged 415 newly inducted members of the institute not to join those projecting negative narratives about Nigeria, but instead become ambassadors of hope, patriotism, and responsible communication.

Speaking at the induction ceremony in Abuja, Neliaku said public relations practitioners have a critical responsibility to build trust, strengthen national unity, and reshape the country’s image through ethical and professional communication.

He told the inductees that while public relations is often associated with reputation management, it is fundamentally a leadership function that demands the promotion of hope rather than despair.

“Instead of being purveyors of destructive and hopeless narratives about our country, we should become messengers of hope, advocates of unity, ambassadors of patriotism, and carriers of peace,” he said.

Neliaku cited findings from the 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer presented during the institute’s Executive Master Class, saying Nigeria had risen from eighth position in 2025 to sixth globally in the average trust index, scoring 72 per cent and ranking ahead of countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Japan.

According to him, the report contradicts persistent narratives portraying Nigeria as a failed country and should encourage citizens to have greater confidence in the nation’s future.

“Please do not allow anybody to tell you that your country is nothing to write home about. It’s not true,” he added.

The NIPR president also warned against the growing global trend of “insularity,” where people trust only those within their immediate groups, saying such a development could threaten national cohesion if allowed to take root in Nigeria.

He urged communication professionals to bridge divides, build consensus, and promote peaceful coexistence across ethnic, religious, and political lines.

Neliaku noted that the trust report ranked Nigeria second only to Saudi Arabia in optimism about future generations, with 65 per cent of respondents believing the next generation of Nigerians would be better off.

He said the finding underscored the need to deliberately nurture a new generation of credible leaders capable of driving the country’s development.

Addressing the new members, he described their induction as more than the acquisition of a professional certificate.

“It is a call to duty,” he said, urging them to remain active in the institute’s programmes and uphold the highest standards of professionalism and ethics.

He called on members to support preparations for the forthcoming World Public Relations Forum and the 37th African Public Relations Association Conference, both scheduled to be held in Abuja later this year under the theme, Responsible Communication: The Voice of the World.

Speaking, the Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria, Jibrin Baba Ndace, urged the inductees to embrace continuous learning, stressing that ignorance has no place in modern public relations practice.

He said practitioners must remain informed about national and global developments, noting that events across the world increasingly shape public perception and influence institutions.

The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Press Council, Dili Ezughah, encouraged the new members to uphold integrity, accountability, and ethical conduct while using communication to foster peace, national unity, and sustainable development.

Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria, Ali Mohammed Ali, charged the inductees to embrace innovation and lifelong learning, saying the institute remained central to strengthening reputation management and public trust in Nigeria.

The National President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Alhassan Yahya Abdullahi, called for closer collaboration between journalists and public relations practitioners, saying both professions share the responsibility of promoting truth, responsible communication, and national development.