Lagos NIPR concludes 9th edition of stakeholders’ conference
By Ibidunni Banjoko
To interact and proffer solutions to the social, political and economic challenges plaguing the nation, the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Lagos State Chapter, has concluded the ninth edition of its stakeholder conference which took place at the MUSON Centre, Lagos recently.
The event, which had the theme, “Leadership and Poverty Eradication”, saw Tony Elumelu, Chairman of Heirs Holdings and Founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, who was represented by Niyi Onifade, Managing Director/CEO of Heirs Life Assurance Limited, as the keynote speaker.
In his speech, Mr. Onifade noted that poverty is the greatest enemy of humanity, adding that, apart from breeding hunger, poverty also opens up the floodgates of crime and conflicts.
“It is right to say that no one can sleep with two eyes closed in a country where poverty thrives – not the rich and powerful and certainly not the leaders. Poverty taints everything and affects everyone. It also sets in motion a chain of events that creates chaos.
“Poverty anywhere is a threat to all of us everywhere. As corporate citizens, we have a moral obligation to lead the fight against this enemy. But it is not a one-man’s fight or for the government alone. It is a fight that must be fought by every single one of us,” he said.
“The government alone cannot provide all the economic and social needs of a country. The solution is a multi-sector and stakeholder collaboration that will promote financial inclusion and social welfare.
“It is based on the belief that the African private sector has the power to transform the continent through long-term investments, creating both economic prosperity and social wealth,” he stated.
Also commenting on the theme, Wale Akogun, Director of Public Affairs, Ministry of Information and Strategy, Lagos State, who represented Gbenga Omotosho, the state’s Commissioner for Information and Strategy, stated that to eradicate poverty in the country, community leaders should be able to confront difficult issues, have a clear vision establishing growth and mentor followers with knowledge and tools necessary to excel.
“The way of eradicating poverty in the profession is to make conscious and sustained effort and hope for excellence in outstanding performance in the years ahead. To eradicate poverty, leaders in the profession must train and retrain their staff and monitor their performance by encouraging them to benchmark excellence and develop passion for public relations practice for the future growth of the profession,” he said.
Commenting, Comfort Nwankwo, Chairman, Lagos NIPR said that the theme is timely as the election year in Nigeria is approaching.
“As Public Relations professionals, we are expected to set the agenda for stakeholders’ engagement and lead the discussion to reawaken national consciousness.
“The Lagos Public Relations Stakeholders conference has become a major event in the annual calendar of the Institute, it has become a veritable platform to discuss and proffer solutions to the social, political and economic challenges plaguing our nation. We are committed to sustaining this platform as a way of contributing to the development of our dear country,” she mentioned.
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