By Angela Atabo
The Managing Director, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Ali M. Ali, has called for a deeper, sustained relationship that is built on trust and value creation for public relations practitioners and the media to thrive in their roles.
Ali said this at the 2025 Julius Berger Nigeria (JBN) Plc Annual Media Parley in Abuja on Saturday.
He spoke on the topic “Public Relations and the Media: The Missing Link”.
The NAN MD said that the fast-evolving communications landscape demanded strategy, strong storytelling skills, and a clear understanding of audience psychology.
“One very important mistake most PR practitioners often make is they do not build media relations. They think it is only at crunch time, but you have to build relations, sustain it, and it will be a lot easier when you are presenting your own side of the story, especially when crises hit.
“I recall several instances Julius Berger has been hit by some of these crises, and sometimes I take note of how they tried to roll back the story.
“Now, when you have excellent media, in fact, the media itself will be the one to reach out to you and guide you on how to go about it. But depending on the story, of course.
“There are others also waiting on the wing for some mishap to happen. Now, the media is neither friendly nor hostile for PR. It works with information. The information that gets to it first,” he said.
Ali, who contrasted between journalism and public relations, said that while journalists pursue truth, PR practitioners manage perceptions and reputation — two elements he described as “powerful drivers of public behaviour.”
“Perception, to some people, is more powerful than reality. People buy perception; they respond to perception. That is why you cannot ignore it, you must shape it,” he said.
He also identified story framing as the “missing link” between many PR practitioners and the media.
He stressed that a clear, well-crafted story often finds its way into publications faster than poorly assembled press statements that burden editors.
The NAN MD insisted that the relationship between journalists and PR practitioners is inherently symbiotic.
“The media PR relationship is a two-way street; by building trust, providing value and telling compelling stories they can break the gap and achieve success.
“The media is a platform; not hostile, not friendly. It is up to the PR man to leverage on this so long they understand what the media is all about so that there is a mutually beneficial relationship for both parties.”
Ali praised Julius Berger’s PR lead, Emmanuel Isibor, describing him as a model practitioner who combined strong journalism experience with strategic communication skills.
Earlier, Dr Abdulaziz Kaita, Director of Administration, JBN Plc, commended media practitioners for their sustained collaboration with Julius Berger.
Kaita said, “We are good friends of the media and we work together with the stories that continue to shape public trust, to inspire young engineers, young journalists and build confidence in Nigeria.
“Julius Nigeria Plc started in 1965. Our first project was Eko Bridge in Lagos in August 1965, so, for exactly 60 years JBN has been working in Nigeria.
“We have worked almost in 90 per cent of the states in Nigeria. JBN has worked in Maiduguri, we have worked in Bayelsa, we have worked in Calabar, we have worked in Kaduna, Sokoto, almost every state of Nigeria.
“So, over the last 60 years, we were involved in the construction of the Third Mainland Bridge, Second Nigeria Bridge, East-West Road, Bodo-Bony Road project, even the State House here in Abuja and a lot of other iconic projects.”
Kaita said that JBN, in partnership with Ahmadu Bello University, made a research on its innovation for cold recycling technology which was introduced for Abuja-Kano Expressway project and earned the company an international award with the American Society of Civil Engineers. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Deji Abdulwahab
