Information Minister Calls for Stronger Mentorship in PR Profession
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has urged senior public relations practitioners to prioritise mentorship and transfer their professional knowledge and experience to younger colleagues.
A statement wsigned by Rabiu Ibrahim, Special Assistant (Media) to the Honourable Minister of Information and National Orientation in Abuja today.
Idris made the call on Saturday in Kaduna at the maiden Bashir Adamu Chedi Annual Memorial Lecture and Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Kaduna State Chapter.
The Minister said the success of a professional should not be measured only by personal achievements but also by the number of people they help to develop.
“Your experience should not retire with you. One of the greatest measures of professional success is the number of people you help to become better,” Idris said.
He described the memorial lecture as an enduring platform for mentorship and a fitting way to preserve the legacy of the late Mallam Bashir Adamu Chedi, FNIPR.
According to him, Chedi’s greatest legacy was not the positions he held but the influence he had on younger practitioners and the professional values he demonstrated.
“His greatest legacy was not the positions he occupied. It was the people he influenced, the younger practitioners he encouraged and the professional values he represented,” he said.
Idris stressed that professional bodies could not develop sustainably if successive generations were forced to start from scratch, calling for deliberate efforts to transfer experience and preserve institutional memory.
“Experience must be transferred. Institutional memory must be preserved. Yesterday’s mistakes must become tomorrow’s lessons,” the Minister said.
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He noted that younger practitioners bring energy, creativity and familiarity with emerging technologies, while experienced professionals contribute judgement, institutional knowledge and professional wisdom.
The Minister therefore urged both generations to embrace one another’s strengths rather than viewing their differences as a source of conflict.
“Young practitioners must not dismiss experience as outdated, and senior practitioners must not regard innovation as a threat. Bridging generations means bringing these strengths together,” Idris said.
He also urged public relations practitioners to uphold truth, credibility, integrity and responsibility in their professional engagements, particularly as artificial intelligence and social media continue to reshape the communication landscape.
Idris said the life and career of Mallam Bashir Chedi should remind practitioners that lasting professional legacy goes beyond personal accomplishments to include the knowledge, values and opportunities passed on to others.
The event was attended by the President and Chairman of Council, NIPR, represented by the Vice President, Prof. Emmanuel Dandaura; Chairman of the Public Relations Consultants Association of Nigeria (PRCAN), Dr Nkechi Ali-Balogun; former Vice President of NIPR, Dr Auwal Mohammed Haruna; Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the News Agency of Nigeria, Malam Ali M. Ali; and Director General of the Nigerian Television Authority, Malam Abdulhamid Dembos.
Others included the Director-General of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Dr Mohammed Bulama; Director-General of Voice of Nigeria (VON), Malam Jibrin Baba Ndace; Managing Director of Northern Cables Processing and Manufacturing Company (NOCACO), Dr Tunde Orija; and the Commandant of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), represented by the Director of Coordination, Commodore M.S. Danjuma.
The Commissioner of Police, Kaduna Police Command, was represented by the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Finance and Administration, ACP Abdulkadir Yahaya, while members of the family of the late Bashir Adamu Chedi and other dignitaries were also present.
By PRNigeria
