INCREASINGLY, businesses at all levels ' corporate, public and private ' have begun to appreciate the contribution of Public Relations to the accomplishment of the overall objective of most organizations.On a global scale, the paradigm, which hitherto boxed the profession to being a cost centre, has indeed, shifted with attention being focused on why Public Relations should be accorded its prime position not only for its contribution to the bottom-line, but also because of its priceless value addition to wellbeing, at all times, of business concerns.This was the kernel of keynote address presented recently by the former Executive Director, Spring Bank Plc, Dr. Kabir Ahmed at the national communication summit organized by the Timex School of Communication (TsC) in Kaduna.The three-day training exercise, which drew participants from public and private sectors of the economy also paraded other dignitaries, especially during its opening ceremony, such as Managing Director of New Nigerian Newspaper, Mallam Tukur Abdulrahman; Director of Arewa House, Dr. Kabir Chafe; Chairman of the Editorial Board of Blueprint, Mallam Modibbo Kawu; and former Managing Director of UBA Plc, Mallam Abba Kyari among others. Former Director General, Nigerian Television Authority and Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, Mallam Mohammed Ibrahim presided over the occasion.In his remarks, Dr. Ahmed reaffirmed the significance of PR to company's growth and profitability. 'Public Relations is an enterprise which requires finesse, discipline, organisational ability, adeptness and time-management. It can only effectively thrive when it is practiced with ethics and integrity,' he said.Apart from being an important academic and professional discipline, Dr. Ahmed cautioned that Public Relations should not be seen merely as a cost-center. 'It adds to the profitability of organisations,' he insisted.He supported his argument with the comment of the International Association of Business Communications in the United Kingdom, that Public Relations 'actually contribute to the bottom-line. It supports the strategic objectives of the company, nurtures relationship with internal and external publics as well as stakeholders. Public Relations contribute to the bottom-line by preventing the costs of conflicts with key publics in terms of strikes, litigation and boycotts. Public Relations also help companies to make money by enhancing relationships with customers and regulators.'He therefore, urged the facilitators to do justice to the various multi-faceted topics of the summit. His expectation was that the discussions would be intellectually stimulating and profound such that 'by the time the summit comes to an end, participants would have been enriched in their knowledge and understanding of the complex issues in public relations.'Dr. Ahmed marveled at the modest contribution of TsC to human capital development within its short time of existence as reflected in its clientele.His words: 'The client base of the school ' state governments, banks and government parastatals ' testify to the public relations expertise and professionalism of the founder, a very demanding round-the'clock preoccupation, from my personal experience of heading the Corporate Affairs Division of a leading Nigerian Bank several years ago.'He is optimistic that, in due course, the school will be upgraded to the status of a degree awarding institution possibly in partnership with government and other private sector operators.'I pray that one day the school will grow in size and academic scope and be at par with the Institute for Public Relations in Gainesville, Florida whose mission is to 'improve the effectiveness of organisations by advancing the professional knowledge and practice of public relations through research and education.' Ahmed concluded.The Executive Director and Founder of the school, Mallam Kabir Dangogo had earlier underscored the need for companies to invest in human capital development, insisting that 'resources spend on training are money wisely invested.'In all, a total of eight sessions featured during the summit covering diverse issues such as Corporate Social Responsibility or Corporate Social Investment; Public Relations as a Survival Strategy in a Depressed Economy; Effective Management of the Media and Maximising Publicity; Managing Crisis using Social Media; Choosing the Right Media for Effecting Advertising Campaign; Why the Media Matter in Policy-Making; Effective Management of Political Communication; as well as Buildingand Managing Successful Brands.Invited as facilitators that anchored some of the topics were General Manager, Public Affairs, PPPRA, Dr. Wole Adamolekun; Assistant General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Unity Bank Plc, Malam Aliyu Ma'aji; Assistant Director, National Library Abuja, Abubakar Bello Abdullahi; CEO, Kuppy Konsult, Muktar Adamu; CEO of TimexIntermedia Ltd, Mr. Taiwo Ola Jnr; pioneer Registrar of APCON and now visiting lecturer to ABU Zaria and UNN Nsukka, Prof. Charles Okigbo; and Malam Garba Shehu of Atiku Media Office, Abuja among others.
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