For Nigeria to achieve its desired transformation, it must change the narrative that the colonial masters bequeathed on her as their programme for national development.
This was the view of the President and Chairman of Council, Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, Dr Ike Neliaku, at a one-day international colloquium on Thursday in Abuja.
Neliaku said the colonial masters came to Nigeria and deployed their vision and storylines with deadly efficiency, declaring that the sad narrative must end.
“It has been said that our colonial masters came armed with a programme and deployed the vision, its templates, icons, monuments and storylines with deadly efficiency.
“This sad narrative still holds sway to date.
“Our response is, if Nigeria was designed and programmed to fail, it is now time for Nigerians to wisely re-programme Nigeria for genuine transformation and development,” Neliaku said while giving his opening address.
He stated that NIPR has been charged not to fail even “if other leaders, other people, other institutions, and other organisations” fail Nigeria.
“It is time for the NIPR to give the nation a new narrative, to design a new direction, and a new perspective for this great nation.”
Consequently, he said NIPR “has risen to accept the challenge to design a new narrative for Nigeria.”
He said the process for the essentials of the new narrative “actually started in 2021, when the Institute was approached and mandated to intervene in addressing the threat to national cohesion, tagged, Citizens Summit for National Integration, Peace and Security.”
According to him, NIPR started some of the core essentials of the new narrative which he said includes “trust and truth – being honest with the citizens and earning their trust.
“Hope – Napoleon Bonaparte said that a ‘leader is a dealer in hope’ and “effective and responsible Communication, enthronement of ‘non-violent communication’ as an essential part of the narrative.”
He further said it includes “rebuilding relationships and restoring respect for one another, citizen reorientation and re-engagement, leadership accountability and deliberate promotion of made-in-Nigeria products.
Other areas which the institute he said is working on are reputation building and perception management – conscious, and management of Nigeria’s reputation.