Abigail Ayuba, Abuja.

The President/Chairman of Council NIPR, Dr. Ike Neliaku, has awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) to Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan, CFR, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HoSF), in recognition of her visionary leadership, enormous strides toward reorganizing the Federal Civil Service into a world-class service for national development, and unwavering dedication.

The President/Chairman of Council NIPR, Dr. Ike Neliaku, has awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) to Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan, CFR, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HoSF), in recognition of her visionary leadership, enormous strides toward reorganizing the Federal Civil Service into a world-class service for national development, and unwavering dedication.

The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan, CFR conferred with Honorary Fellowship by NIPR in Abuja

On Tuesday, July 23, in Abuja, during the public lecture celebrating World Public Relations Day 2024, with the theme “The Future of Public Relations in a Changing World: Journey in the Nigerian Federal Civil Service,” Dr. Yemi-Esan, CFR, was awarded the honorary fellowship.

She expressed her gratitude to the Governing Council members and the President of NIPR for the honor, but she also stated that the Service has changed under her leadership in terms of inclusion, reforms, and digital transformation. She congratulated NIPR on its recent diamond jubilee celebration, citing it as a testament to decades of Federal Republic of Nigerian public relations practitioners’ regulation and capacity-building.

“If you do not tell your story, someone else will,” says Dr. Yemi-Esan, CFR, which only serves to highlight how crucial information and image management is to corporate governance at all levels.

During her tenure in public service, she has observed many commendable government interventions at different implementation levels. However, she pointed out that a persistent issue that reduces the public’s awareness of the good work being done is the inability to effectively communicate the story.

It is for this reason, in her opinion, that public relations should never become a profession of any kind but rather stay a profession based on modern ethics.

The HoSF praised the guest lecturer’s perspective on the professionalization of public relations, particularly her discussion of the impact of digitalization and artificial intelligence (Ai), two topics she has been actively promoting.

She also commended Dr. Ike Neliaku, one of the best information management professionals in the country, for leading the NIPR with transparency. She was grateful that he was leading by example and making sure that this crucial area of Nigerian governance was conducted with the utmost professionalism.

Dr. Yemi-Esan praised the proactive approach taken by the President of NIPR and his team in submitting a highly creative memo to the most recent National Council on Establishment, with the goal of changing the name of the Federal Civil Service’s Information Officer cadre—as well as the state’s Civil Service—to Information and Public Relations Cadre.

She went on to say that the Federal Civil Service understands the value of responsible and efficient communication. “We have made great progress in working with our private sector partners to develop a feedback mechanism for our internal and external public, as well as a framework for communicating our programs and activities,” the spokeswoman continued.

Declaring that “it has not been a one man show, I have had very hardworking people around me to ensure the success,” she expressed gratitude for the part played by devoted civil servants who have significantly contributed to the noteworthy advancements that everyone has been talking about while dedicating her Award to God. In order to promote change, she pleaded with NIPR to keep working with the service.

The Permanent Secretaries of the Ministry of Information and National Orientation, the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace, and the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation joined Dr. Yemi-Esan in accepting the Fellowship Award.

In his introductory remarks, Senator Osita Izunaso, fnipr, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Capital Market, expressed gratitude to the HoSF for the cadetization of public relations in the civil service. He said that in order to reflect international best practices, the House is currently working on amending the NIPR Moribund Charter.

In addition to thanking the HoSF for overseeing the Cadrerization of PR during her term, Dr. Ike Neliaku, President of NIPR, stated that the HoSF’s recognition was a result of her dedication, moral character, diligence, and passion for excellence.

In his paper presentation, Otunba Olufemi Oyawale, the keynote speaker, stated that in a world that is competitive and changing quickly, there would be no life without public relations. Additionally, he emphasized how critical it is that the government inspire its Public Relations Officers (PROs) and include them in decision-making.

“The days of the fire brigade approach to public relations are truly over; this is the era of the well-spoken, fully engaged government PRO who is thoroughly professional, well-paid, and skilled with ICT,” he continued.

Following its founding in 1963, the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) received a chartered in 1990.