The Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), has said that Ajuri Ngelale, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to President Bola Tinubu, is not qualified for the job of a spokesperson as he is not a certified member of the institute.

NIPR, which was established in 1963 as the professional body of qualified Public Relations Practitioners, attained charter status in 1990 with Decree 16 (now Act of the National Assembly.

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The law mandates NIPR to regulate the practice and direct the development of Public Relations as a profession in Nigeria.

The law also makes it illegal to practice Public Relations, under any title, in Nigeria without NIPR certification.

In January 2019, the NIPR said based on its law, it is a criminal offence to appoint spokespersons without certification in public relations.

The organisation also threatened to take legal action against public and private organisations that failed to appoint public relations professionals as spokespersons.

A statement by the institute noted that there were skills to acquire before a person could function optimally as a spokesperson.

Quoting Muhktar Sirajo, the then NIPR President, the statement read: “There are laid down rules about appointing spokespersons; the law establishing NIPR makes it a criminal offence for anybody to practise public relations by whatever name without certification or licensed by NIPR.

“There are set parameters of knowledge you need to acquire before you can practice public relations. The law actually provides for imprisonment, fine, or both.

“Unfortunately, the government too does not come clean in respect of this. Most of the people government appoints to be spokespersons are in violation of this very important creed.

“The government is either unaware of, or has forgotten that there is a law that says you cannot practice Public Relations, PR, without licence from the NIPR. In essence, the government too cannot appoint a spokesperson if that person is not licensed by the NIPR.”

Speaking on Ngelale’s qualification as a public relations officer in accordance with the law, one of the newly elected governing council members of NIPR under the leadership of Dr. Ike Neliaku, told PRNigeria that Ngelale, without the basic knowledge and requisite training on PR, is ordinarily not ‘fit’ to hold the position he currently occupies in the Tinubu Presidency.

One of the governing council members who reportedly spoke in confidence said, “We have checked our records and membership register and we could not find Ajuri Ngelale in the list. One can be a good writer, broadcaster or journalist but there are set parameters of knowledge a communicator needs to acquire including qualification before he/she can practice Public Relations in Nigeria.

“The law establishing NIPR provides laid-down rules about appointing spokespersons which also makes it a criminal offence for anybody to practice Public Relations by whatever name without certification by the Institute.

“In fact, the NIPR act stipulates punishment for illegal practice including imprisonment, fine, or both.”

This comes after the presidential spokesperson goofed in his recent official statements where he claimed that President Tinubu was the first African leader to ring the bell at the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (NASDAQ), during his visit to New York, United States.

Ngelale had also claimed that the United Arab Emirates had lifted the visa ban on Nigerians after a bilateral meeting between President Tinubu and UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Meanwhile, the Presidency later admitted that it goofed by issuing a corrigendum on Friday, saying, “We inadvertently referred to President Bola Tinubu as the first African leader to ring the bell at NASDAQ on Wednesday in New York, based on the information provided by a third-party event organiser.

“We have since found out that this information was/is incorrect as a former African leader has indeed had the privilege.

“This error is sincerely regretted.”

Lagos Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat has arrived the Rosaline Omotoso Court house, Ikeja as Lagos Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sets to deliver judgment in the petition filed by the Labour Party (LP) candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes- Vivour and his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Azeez Olajideca.k.a Jandor, against his election and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

Hamzat arrived the tribunal around 9.20 am accompanied by some aides.

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He sat with a close ally behind the space allocated to counsels in the court.

Security has been beefed up around the court where members of the tribunal are to deliver judgment.

The tribunal members include; Justice Arum Igyen Ashom, Justice Mikhail Abdullahi and Justice I.P. Braimoh.

As early as 7.00 am, a large contingent of policemen in combat gears were seen at the roundabout near Lagos University Teaching Hospital ( LASUTH), Ikeja to ensure security.

A bomb disposal vehicle and more contingent of policemen were also positioned around the court house where judgment is to be delivered.

The police and the security personnel of the Ikeja High Court screened all those coming in.

They stopped political supporters from accessing the court.

The Igbo apex socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has concluded plans to send emissaries to Finland and other Western countries to dialogue with various pro-Biafra agitators to end the killings and arson attacks on communities by security agencies.

Ohanaeze President General, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, who disclosed this at the weekend, said if it would amount to laying down his life to ensure that peace returned to the Southeast, he would do it.

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Describing the happenings in the Southeast as horrendous, the octogenarian appealed to the Nigerian government and security agencies to adopt a non-kinetic approach, insisting that killings must stop.

“I am ready to lay down my life,” he said.

Iwuanyanwu spoke while addressing journalists on the 2023 Igbo Day celebration coming up on September 28 and 29 during a church service held ahead of the event on Sunday at the Cathedral Church of Good Shepherd.

He said as the father of all Igbo people, he would use his exalted position as the President General of Ohanaeze to pursue peace at all costs, adding that he would go as far as Finland and other parts of the world to discuss with Biafran agitators.

“I’ll go to Finland and everywhere to see that there is peace in Igboland. I’ll go and cry to them. I pray to God that I achieve success,” he said.

He said: “I have decided that as a father, I am tired of the death of my children. Ndigbo has given me the responsibility of leading them at this time. Each time I hear anybody killed, I feel very sad.

“I feel very sad too because those of them who are joining whatever it is are doing it because some of them are hungry. Some of them are unemployed. I am not saying that hunger and unemployment should make somebody become a criminal but not everyone has the capacity to endure hardship or hunger.

“We have been using a kinetic approach, I think I’m going to advise, I am going to discuss as part of the Igbo Day celebration. I’m likely to announce a non-kinetic approach. I will as a father now call everybody. It is my duty to call everybody for peace. On the 29th of this month during my address, I will initiate a non-kinetic approach.

“I will appeal to our people because we have these programmes we have started so that when people leave school here they will have opportunities. So this non-kinetic approach will require everybody’s support. It will require the support of the state governors and the federal government.

“It is good for the federal government to have peace in the South East. It won’t pay them to have bloodshed. Because you see, bloodshed doesn’t pay anybody. So whatever sacrifices they make to bring the non-kinetic approach which saves killings and bloodshed will be useful and that is what I want to do.

“I am going to reach all these people by any means and I will talk for peace. I will beg them. I will even give them my life. If they want to take my life, I am ready to surrender. I will set up a committee. I will send people abroad. They have mentioned some names of people abroad they feel are doing this. I am going to set up a committee.

“I don’t want to kill any of my children. All these people, the gunmen are my children. We are going there to beg them and to appeal to them. Tell them please, tell us what you want us to do and we are doing it already. I am sure that even those who are hungry will find something for them to do to keep them happy. But the shedding of blood should stop.”

Simon Ekpa, a self-proclaimed disciple of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, who openly calls for sit-at-home exercise in the region, lives in Finland. Ekpa is also believed to be behind the enforcement of the sit-at-home protest and the violent agitation for the separate state of Biafra.

Iwuanyanwu said he had resolved to transform Ndigbo to create employment opportunities, adding that it could be achieved with the cooperation of the Southeast Governors.

He said that Ndigbo were not out for war but for opportunities to better their lots. He urged the Federal Government to ensure that international airports, as well as rail transport, work well so that Ndigbo as business entrepreneurs would carry on their enterprise unhindered.

He also said that what Ndigbo needs is not palliative but opportunities to grow economically.

“We are not looking for guns but opportunities for our people. We are not looking for palliative but opportunities to aspire and fend for ourselves,” he said pointing out that if Igbo land has three seaports and the international airports are working to the extent that planes from Europe and other parts of the world can come to Southeast, there will be no need for palliatives.

“We want European airlines to be coming to the Southeast. They should improve the rail lines to link Ndigbo to other states in Nigeria,” he said.

Director-General of the Governor Douye Diri’s Campaign Organisation and member representing Ogbia federal constituency, Mitema Obordor, has said the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, campaigns for the November 11 governorship elections shall be issue based, drawing strength from the achievements of the administration in the past years.

Obordor, in a statement in Yenagoa, weekend, following his inauguration as Governor Diri Campaign Director General, said the directorate would abide by the rules of the game as provided by the laws of the land, adding that there was no doubt that Governor Diri has done exceptionally well in all spheres, even to a point that the main opposition could not hide its admiration.

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He said: ”I had to accept this responsibility with much enthusiasm and reverence due to the faith and confidence I have on this project.

“There is no doubt that this administration with the sobriquet ‘Prosperity government’ has done exceptionally well in all spheres, even to a point that the main opposition could not hide its admiration.

“The hard work, resilience and commitment shown by this administration have reflected in all sectors of our economy, thus making Bayelsans to have a new lease of life.

“The performance in infrastructure, education, health and human capital development and wealth creation to mention but a few are highly commendable.

“The state can never do better in any hands than the prosperity team led by Governor Diri. That is the more reason I have to accept this responsibility with open arms to enable me work with our people to return this great team to Creek Haven.”

The Labour Party, LP, Southeast Chapter has condemned the recent spike in killings and violence in Imo State, particularly the recent incident in Umualumaku, Ehime Mbano Local Government Area of the state, which claimed the lives of some members of the Nigerian army, police, and civil defense.

In a statement issued in Enugu weekend by the National Vice Chairman, Southeast LP, Chief Innocent Okeke, he described the killing of the officers as unjust, saying, “These officers had families who depended on them for daily survival, and it is unjust that they had to answer for national calls with their lives.”

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Okeke lamented that the killing of the nation’s security operatives was one of many incidents in Imo State that have been underreported and uninvestigated, and no significant measures are being put in place to forestall further occurrence.

He regretted that the state had descended into a state of lawlessness and total anarchy where individuals were uncertain about their safety in another thirty minutes without nursing the fears of death.

“The state of Imo has been tragically reduced to a graveyard, where the populace no longer fears the sight of blood and death as it flows and litters the streets daily. The sounds of firearms of varying calibres have engulfed the state, causing tensions that pose serious health concerns to both adolescents and the elderly.“

The 2023 Imo governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, and former governor of the state, Ikedi Ohakim, have described the Imo Charter of Equity as misleading.

Anyanwu yesterday stated this to newsmen while speaking to his campaign team, the Divine Mandate Movement, DMM, at the party secretariat along Okigwe road in Owerri.

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Anyanwu argued that the immediate past Governor Emeka Ihedioha, started the Imo Charter of Equity but it was allegedly destroyed by incumbent Governor, Hope Uzodimma. He argued that if Uzodimma believed in Imo Charter of Equity, he should have allowed Ihedioha to complete his administration.

Also in his disagreement, former governor, Ikedi Ohakim, while speaking to newsmen in Owerri, said the document was misleading and fell short of some expectations and it was part of the reason it was difficult to sell it to the people.

According to Senator Anyanwu, “Imo Charter of equity started when Ihedioha was in power. We are out to bring it back. Uzodimma destroyed it and he is talking of the charter of equity. He should have allowed Ihedioha to continue if he believed in it.

“On November 11, our votes must count. We are going to be the governor and deputy governor. You will see it. Do not be afraid. Go and vote. Leave the rest for me. They cannot do anything. They want to scare you. Do not be afraid. I will face them. Imo people are tired. I am going to make Imo safe again. The Government House is waiting for us the PDP to take over.

“Look at our local governments. No local government chairman, no counsellor.How do you create employment?

“When the PDP was in government , things were moving. I will govern Imo from Imo State and not from outside.”