YBO bemoans poor perception of PR in Nigeria
By Felicia Nwosu
Mr. Yomi Badejo-Okusanya, YBO, Founder and Group Managing Director of CMC (Perception Managers), has bemoaned the continuous challenge of poor perception of the public towards the Public Relations profession and challenged the practitioners to take a holistic action that will enable them to gain the social status and public recognition that they deserve.
Okusanya made this revelation at a media briefing in Lagos to flag-off the company’s 30th anniversary celebrations. He said PR offers an intangible service, which may be the reason why its stakeholders, especially clients and government do not understand the true value of such service to the economy. The APRA president urged practitioners to foster professionalism and promote ethical conduct in the industry to enable them to gain recognition due to their profession.
“Many of our stakeholders especially clients and government are still not clear about the value public relations bring to the table. Many still mix it up with media relations and protocol. The one which is extremely annoying is bribe-giving and taking. That is not public relations because, PR is a management tool. It involves science and art that analyses strength, gives the outcome and counsels organizational leaders”.
According to him, the profession is yet to take its place of pride as a result of this lack of understanding and misperception.
“Public relations is yet to take its rightful place among the committee of professions, it has not been accorded the right status and value. PR continues to suffer because those in charge see it as an all comers affair. Going forward, I strongly believe we must put the right peg in the right hole, if we ever hope to progress. A Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) certified PR practitioner is the right person, for the job of special adviser on communication. Having said that, public relations itself, needs PR, it is a case of ‘physician heal thy self’. While we are out there protecting the reputation of our clients and principals, that of our profession is taking significant bashing”, he said.
Commenting on the impact of the company on the society, he said: “CMC Perception Managers will continue to serve as a responsible corporate citizen, contributing its own quota to the community through taxes, employment, capacity building professional development and community relations. To this end, the brand will continue to provide placements for undergraduate as a way of mentoring them.
“CMC Connect in support of the environment has also embarked on the initiative, known as ‘Plastic Responsibility’. We will pursue this initiative and continue to advocate for responsible action in the manufacturing, usage, disposal and recycling of plastic products.”
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