Douglas Blessing, Port Harcourt
President of the Nigeria Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Dr Dike Neliaku has revealed that the institute is planning to establish Energy Public Relations hub in Rivers State.
Neliaku who noted the productive efforts of the NIPR members in the energy sector, said the hub is in recognition of the contributions of Rivers State to the country.
The NIPR president made the assertion, in his remarks at the Sir O.B Fubara Gold Paper Lecture/Annual General Meeting of the Rivers State chapter of the institute, held in Port Harcourt.
Neliaku noted that similar hubs exist in developed countries where oil and other energy resources are found, stressing that people from the area would assist the institute in developing content for the hub.
“Here in Rivers State, we discovered that you have given so much to the nation with your energy resources but I am not sure the nation understands the volume of what you have given to it, so we decided that we are going to establish Energy PR Hub in Rivers State.
“So if you want to study energy public relations come to Rivers State, come to the Niger Delta,” he stated.
Neliaku described late Fubara as a man who contributed immensely to the development of NIPR in Rivers by nurturing and mentoring members to attain the highest membership grade in the institute.
Chairman of the event, His Majesty, Eze Lesley Eke in his remarks called for the inclusion of traditional rulers in governance for sustainable development in the country.
Speaking on the theme of the lecture, “Re-Engineering Traditional Institution for Community Development in Niger Delta: Today and Tomorrow,” Eke said, the lecture is apt especially with the current trends in the state and country.
“The lack of traditional rulership roles in the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria is a weakness.
If we have such inclusiveness, we would be able to stand our grounds in defense of our actions, but our actions now are dependent on other institutions and other officers of government to be able to stand and that is a the weakness,” he said.
Meanwhile, the outgone, Acting Chairman of the NIPR state chapter, Dr Rita Inoma-Abbey said the institute chose the theme because traditional rulers have vital roles to play in bringing development and peace in their dormain.
