NIPR Extols Roles of Traditional Rulers in Nation-building



The Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) says traditional rulers play vital roles in the development of every nation, calling for a more effective support system to enable them carry out the arduous tasks.

This was the position of the President and Chairman of Council of the Institute, Dr. Ike Neliaku on Monday, May 19, 2025 during a townhall meeting with traditional rulers under the auspices of Akwa Ibom State Council of Chiefs in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

At the engagement which marked the beginning of the 2nd Nigeria Public Relations Week (NPRW) in the city of Uyo, Dr. Neliaku stressed that no nation can develop effectively and achieve lasting peace without recognising the importance and the roles traditional rulers play.

"You're so important to nation-building. I remember that in kingdoms where traditional rulers were the ones who gave directions, people followed. You brought development in your kingdoms before the coming of the English government as it were today. So we are saying that we need to return to that place where our royal fathers will bring development in partnership with the government at the grassroot", he stated.

The NIPR boss highlighting the importance of the gathering as strengthening relationship, noted that knowing their colleagues from other parts of the state will help them network effectively and build new bridges of friendship.

The President also used the opportunity to announce the Institute's plan to convene a Royal Dialogue on National Reputation and Values Rebirth for Traditional Rulers in the country, starting from Akwa Ibom where the idea was first conceived. 

Earlier, the President General of Akwa Ibom Council of Chiefs, His Eminence, Ntenyin Solomon Etuk, in his remarks commended the NIPR for including the Royal Fathers in their event plan and choosing Akwa Ibom as the host State for the NPRWeek. 

Etuk stated that one of the roles of Traditional Rulers is to disseminate information particularly of government programmes to the people at the grassroots, noting that the partnership with the NIPR would empower members of the Council to effectively manage information for peace and development of their communities.

“Day in day out, things are changing. We are no longer analogue, systems have changed and we have to change as well and I believe very strongly that today the Council will teach us new ways of managing information so that we will be able to pass this information to the people,” he added.

Also speaking, the Eze Igbu Upata III/Nye Udu Upata Kingdom of Rivers State, His Majesty King Felix E. Otuwarikpo, Ph.D, a Fellow of the Institute emphasised the need for training programmes for community chiefs in such a way that they have a shared vision with the their people in order to foster development, urging for the support of NIPR to actualise the capacity building programme. 

"Traditional rulers will be trained on how to manage communications at the community level. The world is changing and as traditional leaders, we must also change along with it. When my father was ruling, there was no GSM. To have a telephone communication, you need to visit NITEL office, so he was at peace but today, every person on the street has my phone number, even late at night, they are calling. As traditional rulers, we don't control the security apparatus, what we need essentially is the goodwill of the people to sustain our domains", he stated. 

A resource person and chairman of NIPR in Rivers State, Rev. Francis Asuk stressed the importance of relationship management skills of Traditional Rulers which he said would be a tool of success. 

He said that acquisition of such skills would help them to navigate through difficult situations even as he called for training of Traditional Rulers on deployment of public relations strategies in dousing tensions and conflicts in their communities as well as getting support from the government for the welfare and development of their people.

“Royal Fathers should be trained on balancing their traditional and modern roles. You must know how to write to compel the government to act in your favour and how to deploy your public relations skills to resolve conflict and douse tension in your kingdoms", Asuk said.

The engagement later shifted to Barth Ebong Hall, University of Uyo Annex, Uyo for interaction with Public Relations and Mass Communication students from various tertiary institutions in Akwa Ibom and neighbouring states. 

The gathering which was at the instance of NIPR’s Young Professionals Hub (YPH) is in advancement of the campaign to raise a credible successor generation in the profession of public relations. 

The President while telling the students that they have chosen the right courses of study urged them to be champions of nation-building than agents of de-marketing the country, assuring the readiness of the Institute to through its YPH offer the right mentorship to help them succeed. 

He said towards actualisation of this, every Chapter of the Institute will now be mandated to come with certain number of young persons in their delegation to the Institute's programmes, insisting that mentorship is a deliberate action. 

The first day ended with a Manifesto Night at Ibom Hall ahead of the Council election where contestants presented their manifesto to the delegates. 

When the President appeared on the stage to present his manifesto, the shout of "take a bow" rented the air, signalling an overwhelming victory that will hand him a second term in office as number one public relations professional in the country. 

Earlier in the day, the President teed-off the NPRW Golf Kitty at Ibom Hotel and Golf Resort, Uyo.