ABUJA/Nigeria: The Nigerian Institute of Public Relations has intensified its institutional reform drive, with Acting President Emmanuel Samu Dandaura urging Chapter Public Relations Officers and Assistant Secretaries to adopt more strategic responsibilities in strengthening the Institute’s administrative and professional framework nationwide.
Addressing state chapter officials during a virtual engagement on Wednesday, Dandaura said their roles should no longer be viewed as routine administrative duties but as critical instruments for institutional transformation. He explained that recent amendments to Bye-Law No. 2 of 1992, updated in 2024, were deliberately designed to align chapter operations with the Institute’s broader national reform agenda.
“The bye-law was not amended for formality,” he said. “It was refined to strengthen efficiency, accountability and synergy between the chapters and the national body.”
He described Chapter PROs as custodians of the Institute’s reputation at the grassroots, noting that they play a frontline role in designing communication strategies, managing stakeholder relations, engaging the media and shaping public perception of the profession. According to him, their performance directly influences public confidence in the Institute’s credibility and values.
Dandaura also called on chapters to maximise digital platforms as tools for integration rather than isolated publicity channels, stressing that cross-posting activities, learning from other chapters and amplifying local initiatives nationally would strengthen cohesion and institutional identity.
The Acting President highlighted another major reform — the redesignation of the Assistant Secretary as Officer in Charge of ICT at chapter level — describing it as both structural and symbolic. He said the change ensures that every chapter contributes actively to the Institute’s digital ecosystem, particularly as NIPR migrates key services online to improve efficiency and transparency.
Under the new structure, Assistant Secretaries are expected to facilitate faster screening of membership applications, manage digital content and support data systems, positioning them as central drivers of the Institute’s digital transformation.
Dandaura reaffirmed that the NIPR leadership under President Ike Neliaku remains committed to supporting chapters as indispensable partners in advancing professional standards and institutional growth.
In his remarks, Registrar Uzoma Onyegbadue commended chapters that have embraced digitisation and encouraged others to accelerate their alignment with evolving systems to ensure uniform progress across the Institute.
Speaking on behalf of participants, the Public Relations Officer of the Abia State Chapter, Promise Uzoma Okoro, described the engagement as a timely initiative that would strengthen collaboration, coordination and operational coherence within the Institute’s nationwide structure.
The meeting reinforced what officials described as a defining message of the reform programme — that chapter officers are no longer peripheral actors but strategic partners in a national network committed to professional excellence, digital integration and reputational leadership.
