The Nigerian Institute of Public Relations has declared that the future of Nigeria’s food security and agricultural competitiveness will depend not only on technology, but on strategic communication.

Speaking as Chief Host at the 4th Pre Conference Webinar ahead of the Nigerian Public Relations Week 2026,Prof. Emmanuel Samu Dandaura, the Ag. President of NIPR, set a bold tone for what Kaduna 2026 must represent for the profession and for the nation.

Addressing members of Council, Fellows of the Institute, the Chairman and members of the National Organising Committee, eminent speakers and participants across the country, Prof. Dandaura described the theme, Digital Agriculture and Emerging Technologies The Role of PR in Public Enlightenment, as national in urgency and strategic in consequence.

He emphasised that Kaduna was chosen not for symbolism but for substance.

Kaduna, he noted, remains one of Nigeria’s agricultural heartlands where farming is livelihood, economic backbone and social stabiliser. Decisions made about digital transformation in agriculture, he stressed, will affect real communities, real harvests and real families.

The Ag President highlighted the rapid shift taking place within global agriculture. Artificial intelligence he said is now predicting yields, data analytics guiding irrigation systems, digital platforms connecting farmers directly to markets and climate smart technologies redefining resilience.

Yet he delivered a defining message to participants – Technology does not transform societies on its own. Communication does.

He warned that innovation often fails not because it lacks intelligence, but because it lacks understanding and trust. Farmers will not adopt what they do not understand. Communities will resist what they do not trust. Leaders will struggle to implement what they cannot clearly communicate.

Public Relations, he declared, must therefore be seen not as a decorative function but as developmental infrastructure.

“We are the bridge between innovation and acceptance, between policy and people, between possibility and participation,” he said.

In Northern Nigeria, where agriculture remains central to youth employment, food security and regional stability, he challenged practitioners to move beyond announcements and ceremonies. The profession, he argued, must interpret change, humanise technology and translate complexity into clarity.

Looking ahead to NPRW 2026 in Kaduna, popularly referred to as Croc City 2026, the Ag President insisted the gathering must represent more than a conference. It must signal a professional shift from publicity to policy influence, from messaging to measurable impact, and from presence to power.

He underscored that perception shapes policy, narrative shapes investment and trust shapes adoption.

Delivering one of the most quotable moments of the webinar, he stated, “A nation that cannot communicate innovation cannot compete in the modern world.”

He further charged practitioners to recognise that preparations for NPRW 2026 are not merely about organising events, but about positioning Public Relations as a strategic driver of national development.

“If we get this right, digital agriculture will not be seen as disruption to tradition, but as evolution with dignity. And when innovation is trusted, transformation becomes inevitable,” he concluded.

The 4th Pre Conference Webinar forms part of a strategic build up to NPRW 2026 in Kaduna, where stakeholders across government, agriculture, technology and communication will converge to chart a new architecture for Public Relations in national development.

With Croc City 2026 gathering momentum, NIPR has signalled clearly that Public Relations must lead from the front in shaping Nigeria’s digital agricultural future.