The Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) has urged hotel operators in Abuja to embrace global hospitality standards while upholding Nigeria’s cultural values ahead of the 2026 World Public Relations Forum (WPRF).

President of NIPR, Dr. Ike Neliaku, made the call during an engagement with hotel managers in Abuja, as part of efforts to mobilise the hospitality industry for the global event.

Neliaku said the forum, which Nigeria secured after a keen contest, offered the country an opportunity to reshape its international image by allowing global communication experts to experience Nigeria firsthand.

He said the success of the event would depend not only on the quality of conference facilities but also on how international delegates were received, accommodated and treated throughout their stay.

According to him, the hospitality industry has a critical role to play in ensuring that visitors leave Nigeria with positive impressions based on their experiences rather than prevailing international perceptions of the country.

He urged hotel operators to combine international standards with the Nigerian tradition of warmth, care, generosity and hospitality.

“Simply put, this morning we are here for one shared vision and goal, and that is to get the hospitality industry to practise one thing: global hospitality,” he said, adding that the standards should be complemented by Nigeria’s culture of acceptance, support and love.

The NIPR president described the forum as a national project rather than an individual or institutional undertaking, urging stakeholders in the hospitality sector to participate actively in its success.

He noted that the event would bring together international public relations and communications professionals whose experiences in Nigeria could influence how they understand and communicate the country’s story to the rest of the world.

Neliaku said the institute was determined to make the 2026 edition the biggest, brightest and boldest in the history of the global gathering, with programmes designed to expand its scope beyond the traditional conference format.

He disclosed that the planned activities would include a roundtable of African ministers of information and a global information summit, alongside other engagements intended to deepen discussions on communication and public relations.

The NIPR president also recalled the challenges Nigeria faced in securing the hosting rights, explaining that the country had to sustain its bid despite objections and disagreements during the selection process.

He said the decision to present Nigeria’s interest as an African aspiration helped broaden support for the bid, with the country eventually securing 17 votes, while four members abstained and one voted for the competing country, according to his account.

He added that the institute was committed to ensuring that the event demonstrated Nigeria’s capacity to host a major international gathering.

Also speaking, the chairman of the NIPR FCT chapter, Stanley Ogadigo, said the engagement was designed to prepare hospitality operators for the expectations of international visitors.

Ogadigo said Nigeria’s traditional hospitality should remain central to preparations, even as hotels adopt standards that meet global expectations.

He urged stakeholders to treat the engagement as an opportunity to identify areas requiring improvement and prepare adequately for the event, stressing that delegates’ experiences would be shaped significantly by the hotels in which they stayed.

He added that the hospitality industry remained a critical partner in delivering a successful forum and called on operators to support the initiative as a project capable of promoting Nigeria’s image internationally.