NIPR, CCC Collaborate to Improve Security Information Management
The Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) has said that close working relationship between the Institute and the Centre for Crisis Communication (CCC) if carefully handled, will improve the quality of information management in the security sector.
The NIPR President and Chairman of the Governing Council, Mallam Mukhtar Sirajo, made the disclosure while receiving a delegation from the Centre for Crises Communication at the NIPR Headquarters in Abuja.
Sirajo who commended the body for facilitating an integrated communication process in crisis management in the security sector stated that NIPR as an Institute chartered by Act of the Parliament has a duty to ensure that all who indulge in the practice of Public Relations comply with the law.
He said that security communication is strategic and a sensitive business which must be professionally done, and expressed the willingness of the Institute to collaborate with the Centre.
“The NIPR welcomes the support and understanding of key stakeholder in the task of nation building”, he said, and commended the efforts and impact of the Centre since inception, pointing out that it has helped to reduce discordant and conflicting information from the security sector.
The NIPR boss said it was important that the public knows that the Institute is chartered.
“NIPR is neither an association nor a trade union. You cannot go to Corporate Affairs Commission to look for certificate of Incorporation of NIPR, you won’t get it. The Institute is a creation of the law of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Therefore, we have the backing of the law to act accordingly”, he noted.
He said the Institute as a responsible entity recognized the fact that some persons are already in the practice by error and called on those in that category to take advantage of the window of opportunity created by NIPR (Master Class) to regularize with the Institute.
He said that the relationship will facilitate the certification of security information and image managers through the Institute’s master class and other training programmes which will equip them for greater efficiency.
He seized the occasion to enjoin those who are not yet on the right side of the law concerning membership of the Institute to do so, warning that the Institute will soon take a step further to publish the list of defaulters in the country.
Earlier, the Executive Secretary of the Centre for Crisis Communication, Air Commodore Yusuf Anas, Rtd, said that the Centre has recognized the NIPR as a relevant stakeholder, and sought partnership in the area of training and NIPR certification for personnel in critical agencies for effective crises communication.
He explained that the CCC was initiated to address issues of conflict and crisis within the Nigerian security architecture, saying that the body has been successful in its vision by ensuring synergy in security communication in recent times.
Anas reiterated the need for all and sundry to take public relations seriously, saying that relationship building is everybody’s business, and commended the NIPR President for his role in building the reputation of the country.
“Your vision of repositioning the NIPR has been commendable, and we have seen that the Institute has been better redirected and focused to carry out its important role in national development”, he said.
While specifically congratulating the President for the success of the Institute’s AGM / Conference, which he described as “well organized and attended”, he said that the outing has positioned the Institute as an invaluable stakeholder in the Nigerian project.
The Centre for Crisis Communication is the Secretariat of the Forum of Spokespersons of Security and Response Agencies (FOSSRA) which has 18 agencies from military, security, intelligence and response agencies.
Stanley Ogadigo
Public Relations Officer
NIPR FCT Chapter
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