By Deji Abdulwahab
The Managing Director, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Malam Ali M. Ali, has urged newly inducted members of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) to always tell Chief Executive Officer the truth when offering critical advice.
Ali gave the advice while delivering an induction orientation lecture at the 2026 Quarter Induction Ceremony organised by the NIPR in Abuja on Friday.
He urged the new practitioners to be courageous and committed to professional ethics, stressing that public relations practitioners must provide honest and informed counsel to their organisations.
The NAN boss advised the inductees not to allow the fear of losing their jobs to prevent them from expressing their professional opinions.
He said PR practitioners must understand their responsibilities as advisers and ensure that their contributions were based on facts, knowledge and professional integrity.
“In politics, I’m slightly divergent for those of you who may later manage politicians as their reputation managers.
“First, you have to know your audience very well. You have to be conversant with the current issues at the heart of the government you are advising.
“So, you must speak truth to power as you understand it. That’s how you will be respected. Don’t be a yes person. Don’t be a yes man,” Ali said.
He also urged female PR practitioners to resist the temptation of becoming “yes women” but contribute honestly to discussions at the highest levels of their organisations.
Ali said practitioners should be courageous enough to offer divergent views whenever such views were in the best interest of the organisation and the public.
He said the ability to provide independent and informed advice was essential to building credibility and earning the respect of organisational leaders.
“He who fails to plan plans to fail. Be courageous. Don’t be scared of losing your job,” he said.
The NAN managing director said practitioners who demonstrated integrity and understood their audiences would have their opinions taken seriously by management.
According to him, informed professional advice is different from opinions influenced by personal interests, rumours or inadequate information.
He urged the inductees to actively participate in management discussions and contribute meaningfully to decisions that could affect the reputation of their organisations.
Ali further advised PR practitioners to build strong professional relationships with colleagues, journalists and other stakeholders before such relationships became necessary during crises.
He noted that effective public relations depended largely on the ability of practitioners to maintain positive relationships across different sectors.
“And the journalists you ignore today, probably you’ll be the one you call at 2 a.m. during a crisis in your organisation,” he said.
Ali encouraged the inductees to maintain cordial relationships with the media, stressing that journalists remained important stakeholders in reputation management and crisis communication.
He also urged them to continually update their knowledge and skills to remain relevant in a rapidly changing communication environment.
The NAN boss said the emergence of digital media had made continuous professional development imperative for communication practitioners.
He said practitioners must become proficient in contemporary communication tools and platforms, particularly as the media environment continued to evolve.
Ali said public relations should not be regarded merely as a publicity function but as an integral part of organisational management.
“Public relations is a management function. PR is part and parcel of, and integrated into, the management structure,” he said.
According to him, PR practitioners should be involved in decision-making processes because they have a responsibility to guide public perception about their organisations.
He described PR practitioners as the “conscience” of their organisations, saying they should advise management before decisions capable of causing reputational damage were taken.
“Your job is to advise him before he makes the mistake,” Ali said, referring to the responsibility of PR practitioners to provide timely and honest counsel to their principals.
The NAN boss recalled his experience as a media adviser and member of a State Executive Council to illustrate the importance of divergent opinions in decision-making.
He said the governor he served was a lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria who encouraged members of the council to express different opinions during meetings.
Ali said while some members tended to approach issues from political perspectives, he often offered alternative views based on his professional judgment.
He said the experience reinforced his belief that professionals must have the courage to express their opinions, even when such opinions differed from those of their colleagues.
Ali noted that political environments could sometimes encourage sensational information, making it even more important for communication professionals to provide balanced and credible advice.
He, therefore, charged the inductees to uphold integrity, professionalism and courage as they embarked on their careers in public relations.
Speaking shortly after inducting the new members, Dr Ike Neliaku, National President and Chairman of the NIPR Governing Council, said successful public relations practitioners must be committed to nation-building.
Neliaku said nation-building was not the exclusive responsibility of political leaders but a collective duty of all Nigerians.
He urged the new inductees to recognise their responsibilities as citizens and professionals wherever they found themselves.
Neliaku challenged them to demonstrate value, competence and patriotism in their various places of work and communities.
He cautioned against negative narratives that portrayed Nigeria as a country without any positive attributes.
According to him, while Nigeria faces numerous challenges and has experienced leadership failures, citizens should not abandon hope in the country’s future.
“There is so much that is good about Nigeria. Make no mistake about it. We have our challenges. We are not where we ought to be,” he said.
Neliaku said Nigeria was blessed with abundant natural resources, noting that the country had about 34 solid mineral deposits and enormous human resources.
He said the country’s diversity, with hundreds of ethnic nationalities, should be transformed into a source of unity rather than conflict.
“We are using it as a centrifugal force to destabilise ourselves instead of a centripetal force to bring ourselves together and enjoy our diversity,” he said.
The NIPR president urged the new practitioners to use communication as a tool for promoting national cohesion, responsible citizenship and development.
Also speaking, Dr Omoniyi Ibietan, Secretary-General, African Public Relations Association, described the NIPR as a pioneer professional public relations institute in Africa.
Ibietan said the new inductees were fortunate to belong to a profession capable of using communication as a major instrument for organising society and promoting development.
He urged them to take their professional responsibilities seriously and use their knowledge to build trust between institutions and the public.
“You are lucky to find yourself in the best profession in the world,” Ibietan said, urging the inductees to use communication responsibly as they established themselves in the profession.(NAN) www.nannews.ng
Edited by Funmilayo Adeyemi