NIPR Urges National Assembly to Make Public Relations a Strategic Management Priority

The Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) has called on the National Assembly to elevate Public Relations to the status of a strategic management function in its administrative and institutional operations as a way of addressing the institution’s negative public image.

The Chairman of the FCT Chapter of the Institute, Mr Stanley Ogadigo, made the call during a courtesy visit to the Executive Chairman of the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC), Chief Saviour Enyiekere, in Abuja.

Ogadigo emphasised the need for the National Assembly to adopt professional public relations strategies to address negative public perception and strengthen its institutional image.

He observed that Public Relations should not be treated merely as a publicity or media relations activity but as an essential management tool that contributes to policy formulation, strategic decision-making, stakeholder engagement and institutional reputation management.

According to him, the National Assembly, as a critical institution of Nigeria’s democracy, requires a deliberate and sustained communication strategy capable of bridging the information gap between the legislature and the Nigerian public.

He noted that negative public perception could be addressed through the professional contributions of PR practitioners at top management levels, supported by effective communication, transparency, timely dissemination of information and sustained engagement with relevant stakeholders.

The NIPR FCT Chapter Chairman further stressed the importance of involving professional public relations practitioners in management decisions, noting that effective reputation management requires communications professionals to operate at the strategic level of an organisation rather than being restricted to routine publicity assignments.

Responding, the Executive Chairman of the National Assembly Service Commission acknowledged the importance of strategic communication in strengthening institutions. He noted that the Commission recognised the critical role of information management and public relations in communicating institutional policies, programmes, reforms and achievements to the public.

He expressed satisfaction with the way the NASC Department of Public Affairs had handled the communication of the Commission’s activities so far and pledged to provide every necessary encouragement to improve its performance.

The Executive Chairman emphasised that the image of the National Assembly must be supported by effective communication, professionalism, institutional transparency and improved service delivery by its workforce.

He also highlighted the need for stronger collaboration between the Commission and professional bodies such as the NIPR to promote best practices in public relations, enhance the capacity of its communication personnel and strengthen the institutional communication framework of the National Assembly.

The visit provided an opportunity for discussions on possible areas of collaboration between the Institute and the National Assembly Service Commission, particularly in professional training, strategic communication, stakeholder relations and reputation management.

Ogadigo also used the visit to express the Institute’s gratitude to the Commission for the warm reception accorded the NIPR delegation, which visited earlier in the year as part of its sensitisation drive towards Nigeria’s hosting of the ongoing World Public Relations Forum (WPRF) in Abuja.

He extended an invitation to the Executive Chairman to participate in the WPRF event, which commenced on Sunday.
Ogadigo’s call for the positioning of Public Relations as an important and strategic management function in the National Assembly Service resonates with growing concerns over the perceived relegation of the profession within the Service.

Concerned PR professionals and observers have questioned why the National Assembly has failed to incorporate Public Relations into its top decision-making structure.

A former top officer in the Department of Information in the National Assembly queried: “How can the National Assembly have so many Directorates to handle different aspects of its mandates, sometimes trivial things, but does not have a Directorate for Information and Strategic Public Communication to handle the perennial image deficit problem of the Institution?”

According to him, the National Assembly has a huge image problem because there have been no concerted efforts to properly communicate its activities to the public.

He posited that until the National Assembly establishes a full Directorate of Information and Strategic Communication, where top PR practitioners from the Service are assembled to chart a positive communication path, the institution would continue to grapple with its current negative perception among its critical publics.
Signed
E.N Anyigor
Director, Public Affairs