By Collins Yakubu-Hammer, NAN
Gov. Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has commended the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) for demonstrating purposeful leadership in the country.
Sule gave the commendation on Monday in Abuja during his investiture as Patron of the institute.
He said the investiture reflected progress, development and the institute’s commitment to shaping future leadership in Nigeria.
“The whole idea is to see how we will continue to promote leadership, especially among those who are coming up. So it’s to encourage people to take leadership, honesty, sincerity and commitment seriously.
“As you know, Nigeria is actually going through a lot of challenges right now in the area of security, education, and power.
“So far, we have seen how many times we have had power failure and the rest of that. All those actually will come into play the moment we have the right leadership in all these various sectors.
“We need the money, but the most important thing is to have sincere, credible leadership in place; not just about the president because we have a good president, but about the various sectors.
“You need a leader in ministers, governors and members of the National Assembly. So these are the kind of leadership we are talking about,” he said.
Sule expressed satisfaction that NIPR was providing direction on leadership development in the country.
He also recounted the efforts leading to the establishment of the University of Public Relations and Leadership in Nasarawa State.
Earlier, the NIPR President, Dr Ike Neliaku, said Sule had demonstrated resilience and progressive leadership in the state.
Neliaku said a perception index survey rated the state at 30.4 two years ago, adding that the figure rose to 83.6 after sustained improvements.
He said the investiture was part of the institute’s role in monitoring trends, managing perception and promoting good governance.
Neliaku added that NIPR was preparing to host the 2026 World Public Relations Forum and the African Public Relations Association conference in November.
According to him, more than 3,000 public relations professionals are expected at the events.
He commended Sule for supporting the institute, including hosting the proposed University of Public Relations and Leadership in the state.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that highlight of the event was the investiture of Sule as Patron of NIPR.
Dignitaries at the event included NIPR Vice President, Prof. Emmanuel Dandaura, Director-General of Voice of Nigeria, Malam Jibrin Ndace, and the Emir of Keffi, Dr Chindo Yamusa III.
Others were members of the Nasarawa State Executive Council, State House of Assembly, Fellows and Council Members of the NIPR, and stakeholders in the public relations sector. (NAN)
