PRNigeria Rewards First Class Mass Comm Graduate
-as NIPR Revives Students’ PR Award
PRNigeria has presented the 2018/2019 ‘Best Graduating Student’ of Department of Mass Communication, Bayero University Kano (BUK), Mr. Usman Bello Balarabe, with a cash prize of N50,000 and also a ‘Certificate of Merit.’
Mr. Balarabe, who bagged First Class Degree was also offered an ‘Executive Internship Programme’ opportunity by the award-winning PR firm.
The founder of PRNigeria, Yushau Shuaib, who made the presentation at the Faculty of Communication Building in BUK, Kano on Friday said he was impressed with the academic records of the beneficiary who is an orphan.
Shuaib, who is also a BUK alumnus, said the award was instituted to recognise and celebrate hardwork, commitment, passion in scholarship, together with consistent outstanding academic performance.
He pointed out that PRNigeria’s award will also encourage and motivate others.
Mr. Shuaib, a past winner of the Sabo Mohammed Prize for Best Student in Public Relations in the 90s at the university, said the current President of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Mallam Mukhtar Sirajo, has promised to resuscitate the annual PR Awards for Best Students.
“PRNigeria’s award is attached with an offer for an ‘Executive Internship Programme’ for highly motivated, passionate and educated young communicators. It is for students or fresh graduates with sound background in journalism and Public Relations.
“The internship program will help create opportunities for the successful candidates to sharpen their professional and interpersonal skills, through on-the-job training,” he added.
The Head of Department (HOD) Mass Communication, Dr. Haruna Ismail, commended the founder of PRNigeria for his contribution to scholarship and mentoring of budding communicators in Nigeria.
The award-recipient, Mr. Usman Bello Balarabe, appreciated PRNigeria for the special honour. He also thanked his lecturers and family members for their sound mentorship and guidance.
PRNigeria is the PR arm of Image Merchants Promotion Limited, the winner of SABRE African Public Relations Awards of African Public Relations Association (APRA) and the Golden World Awards (GWA) of the International Public Relations Association (IPRA).
Present at the event were Dr. Hajara Umar Sanda, Deputy Dean Student Affairs; Hadiza Ibrahim, Sub-Dean Academic Faculty of Communication; Dr. Umaru Jibrilu Gwandu, Examination Officer Department of Mass Communication, and Dr. Muhammad Ibrahim Danja, Examination Officer Department of Information and Media Studies.
Other dignitaries in attendance included Mallam Bala Muhammad, a celebrated Weekly Trust columnist and Communication Scholar and Hajia Binta Gambo, a respected Tax Administrator.
By PRNigeria
