NIPR sets up committee to study Samoa Agreement

The Nigerian Institute of Public Relations has inaugurated a technical team to examine and analyse the Samoa agreement and its impact on the nation following its recent signing by the Federal Government.

President and Chairman of Council of the NIPR, Ike Neliaku, disclosed this at the agency’s Special Diamond Anniversary Induction for Media and Allied Practitioners, in Abuja on Thursday.

540 journalists and allied media practitioners from the Nigerian Television Authority, African Independent Television, News Agency of Nigeria, Voice of Nigeria, Channels TV, and the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, among others, were inducted as new associate members of the NIPR.

The initiative evaluates the agreement’s impact on the nation’s reputation and citizens.

“The institute decided to set up a technical team of experts to study the Samoa agreement and come up with the reputation and perception implication of signing that agreement to Nigeria as a nation and to the citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Neliaku said.

He highlighted the importance of the nation’s reputation.

“What is important to us is the reputation of our country. The perception of our country, because our reputation is our core asset. And this is what we have done.

“The NIPR has assembled a team of experts, including lawyers, scientists, and professional engineers, to undertake this task.

“NIPR has the biggest body of knowledge to do this. We have lawyers, scientists, professional engineers, and so on. So we have all that is required to get the nation at every point in time what will help them,” Neliaku emphasised.

He noted that the committee is set to begin work immediately, with plans to advise the government on the findings.

“Therefore, this committee will start work tomorrow and at the end of the day, we will advise the government on the reputational implications of what has happened. So that where we need to re-navigate, we will re-navigate,” he explained.

The analysis will focus on three core values: professional, reputational, and financial.

“There are three values we pry on, as the case may be. The first is professional value. What professional value does the Samoa Agreement offer Nigeria? The second is reputational value. And third is the financial value,” he added.

Neliaku further stressed the importance of prioritizmsing reputation over financial gain, saying “You see that financial value is number three and not number one because when your reputation is intact, when your professionalism is valid, resources will flow naturally.”

The NIPR has also planned a series of chats with former Ministers of Information.

“I want to tell the Chairman of FCT, who is the Director of Public Relations, that we have accepted your challenge that the institute will convene fireside chats with all former ministers of information.

“We want you to come and sit down and share with practitioners because listening to you this afternoon, you have shared your different perspectives,” he announced.