Evolution of public relations practice in Nigeria

By Dr. Sunday O. Ajai, MD/CEO, SOA Communications Bureau

Dr. Sunday Ajai, MD, CEO, SOA
Communications Bureau

After 27 years of struggle, the glory that was public relations came on June 1, 1990 via Decree No. 16, establishing the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations as a full-fledged professional body. Public relations is an integral part of business and not a separate isolated function. It is difficult to define in precise terms. It is one of the marketing mix and also an integral part of management function. To be able to appreciate the function of public relations in a national service, it is necessary to know the definitions of public relations in other countries.

In Norway, public relations activity is a planned and systematic endeav.our to help people understand the possibilities at hand to supply them with a motivation to make sensible as a spiritual activity. This idea has a long way to go before being fully accepted, thus giving our enterprises the dimension which they require. I want to see public relations as a spiritual science and moral art.

According to the Institute of Public Relations of Belgium, “The crises of our contemporary civilisation are due to the fact that humanity’s technical progress is not counter balance by moral progress”. In Russia, public relations is understood in very large terms: It is a relation between men, classes and people living in the field of economy, science, technology, ideology, morals and culture. In Free China, public relations is based on an idea of public service .Secondly, they aim at economic prosperity and thirdly, they have the way to profess of democracy, and fourthly, they follow the principles of Confucius.

In the United States of America, public relations practitioners are regarded as social engineer, making practical application to human relations’ problems of the principles evolved by the social scientists, particularly, in the areas of communication, attitudes, group dynamics and leadership. In Britain and, indeed, all Commonwealth countries including Nigeria, public relations is defined as the deliberate, planned and sustained efforts to establish and maintain mutual understanding between an organisation and its various publics. There are two schools of thought; either an information technique parallel to and making use of advertising, which can be used to persuade or something with moral flavour to it.That is, a means of guiding conscience in support of self interest.
Growth of public relations in Nigeria:

The growth of public relations in recent years has been described as “explosive”. Among top companies in Nigeria today, 95 per cent have public relations departments, compared to about only 20 per cent in the 1970s. Over the years, public relations have broadened, both functionally and geographically. Public relations practitioners now act as consultants to government parastatals, trade associations, state and local governments and tertiary institutions.

Public relations practitioners regularly become involved in product development and promotion, industrial development, tourism, shareholders’ relations, fashion coordination, home economics, press relations, preparation of company’s publications, community and employee relations programmes, corporate news, corporate advertising and a chain of other related activities.

After the amalgamation of the Northern and Southern territories of Nigeria by Lord Lugard in 1914, the Royal Niger Company opened business relations with Nigeria. The main exports of the company were cotton, groundnut, hide and skin from the north and cocoa, timber and ivory from the southern territory. In 1929, UAC International, a member of Unilever group, took over most of the businesses of Royal Niger Company. As part of its marketing mix and prudent management, UAC International established a public relations department at its headquarters in Lagos in 1935.

To take care of its interest in the then three regions in Nigeria, UAC established liaison offices in Kaduna, Benin, Engugu and Ibadan. The second world war (1939 - 1945) had an adverse effect on imports and exports trade in the third world, especially on the West Coast of Africa. The importation of essential commodities like salt became very difficult. Able ­body young men deserted farmland and petty trading to join the West African Frontier Force to prosecute the war.

During the war in 1942, the colonial office established the first information center in Lagos and other cities in Nigeria to handle information between troops at the war fronts and their families back home. Mr. Harold Cooper, a public relations expert from the Central Office of Information (C.LO) London, worked tirelessly to set up these information centers. Late Chief Fadairo, former Chairman, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba was the first Nigerian to head a wartime information center. It was from this humble beginning the information department grew as a government ministry.
Growth in the private sector

After the Second World War in 1945, the London Chamber of Commerce re­established its business relations with West Africa. A delegation of the Chamber was sent to Nigeria, Ghana (then Gold Coast), Sierra-Leone and Gambia. The delegation found Nigeria and Ghana most prosperous for imports and exports trade.

UAC International recruited many of the demobilised soldiers both in Europe and West Africa to man its business outfits in Nigeria and Ghana. This actually paid off as most of the soldiers have been exposed to interaction with other nationals from other countries than their counterparts back home.

UAC International, trading in Nigeria under the name of United Africa Company Limited (UACN), established similar companies in Ghana, Gambia and Sierra­Leone. Business started booming for the company after the war. This gave rise to the expansion of its public relations department. The company employed more public relations officers from London to man its Liaison office in Benin, Enugu, Kaduna, Jos, Calabar, Ibadan and Kano in addition to those at the headquarters in Niger House in Lagos. By the end of 1950, UAC of Nigeria has a full- fledged public relations department.

S.C.O.A. and C.F.A.O. are French companies. They are UAC’s rivals. S.C.O.A. was established in Nigeria in 1934 while C.F.A.O. followed suit in 1935. Because of language difficulty and the policy of French government, their business relation was very dry. The names of their products were written in French and as such, it was really difficult for them to. break the monopoly of U.A.C and other British companies in Nigeria.

To overcome these problems, the French government initiated a programme of sponsoring Nigerians to study French and this started paying aff in the late 1950s. They were able to break the monopoly af UAC and other British companies in Nigeria, after independence in 1960. The opening of Nigeria market to Japanese and Chinese goods, especially Japanese cars also contributed to the breaking of the monopoly of Nigeria’s market dominated by British products.

When the political and economic climates in Nigeria were becoming too cloudy and charged, the two companies sent information to their home office to provide them with professional public relatians officers with the knowledge of English language. The first set of professianal public relations officers were appointed in 1962 by S.C.O.A. while C.F.A.O. appointed its own in 1965. The two companies now have full-fledged public relations departments manned by Nigerians. In the banking sector, British Bank of West Africa, now First Bank of Nigeria Pic, was the first bank to. establish a public relations department in Nigeria. Initially, the bank did not regard public relations as a serious business. Even though it was established in Nigeria in 1897, it did not have a public relations department until 1956. Barclays Bank Limited, now Union Bank of Nigeria Plc was the next bank to establish a public relations department in the banking sector.

British Bank of West Africa dominated the market in West Africa as a whole, but, when Barclays Bank came to the scene, the competitions became stiffer. United Bank for Africa, now UBA of Nigeria Plc was the last of the three big banks to come to Nigeria. UBA started with a revolutionised advertising campaign to win a share of the market. The company did not have a public relations department, but, its publicity and advertising were commissioned to an agency in London.

The indigenisation decree of 1978 brought a new generation of banks, and. this increased the tempo of competitions with the big three.

Professionalism in Nigerian public relations practice

With the new generation of banks making business difficult and the uncertainty of the political situation in the country, UBA established its own public relations department in 1981. The nucleus of staff were recruited from within the company and as such, could not be regarded as professionals. They were, however, trained locally by a consultant, who was a former Public Relations Adviser of UAC of Nigeria Pic, Alhaji Ikhazs Yakubu.

With the beginning of crude all exploration in Nigeria in 1961, public affairs department was seen as one of the core departments in an organisation for peaceful co­existence with the communities living around the oil fields. The Shell Petroleum Development Company Limited, Gulf Oil, now Chevron Nig. Ltd., and the British Petroleum were the first set of explorers. These companies introduced public affairs into public relations, as most of their early Europeans staff were not professional public relations practitioners.

The Oil and Gas industry has produced three past presidents of Nigerian Institute of Public Relations. Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), which was established as the supervisory parastatal of oil exploration in Nigeria, took a cue from the oil explorers. It established its own public affairs department in 1968. A P.R.professional general manager now heads the department. That is a real boost for public relations in Nigeria. The Nigerian Railways Corporation (NRC), is another parastatal that contributed to the growth of public relations in Nigeria. The glory that was NRC was between 1950 and 1965. That was when railways dominated mass transportation in the country. Long haulage vehicle was the initiative of Nigeria Railways. This was to assist in bringing farm products from the hinterlands, mostly in the northern region, to areas being served by railway lines. The corporation established information offices in Lagos, Enugu and Kaduna in 1946 to liaise with its numerous passengers and other railway users.

Late Dr. Sam Epelle joined the corporation in 1955 as an information officer. He introduced professionalism to the P.R. activities of his department after attending a course in public relations in London in 1959. He was promoted to the post of the Chief Public Relations Officer in 1960. During this period, the Nigerian Civil Service was undergoing changes and orientations. Dr. Sam Epelle was the most experienced and senior officer available to occupy the post of Chief Information Officer of the Federation in 1961. He re-organised the department which later grown to a full-fledged ministry in the new dispensation of independent Nigeria.

By 1963, the number of public relations practitioners in government ministries, corporations and private sector had become very formidable. In that same year, Otunba (Dr.) Adekunle Ojora was appointed the first Nigerian Public Relations Adviser and head of department in UAC of Nigeria Plc. The Nigerian Institute of Public relations was established in that same year as Nigerian Association of Public Relations. The. agitation for professional recognition, in actual fact, started with the founding fathers of the institute.

Growth in the Armed Forces:
Before 1966, the armed forces of Nigeria seemed to have no need of information or public relations department. Nigerian first military coup of January 15, 1966 exposed the Nigerian army’s ill-preparedness for the avalanche of public and international criticism of its action. The civil war added another impetus to the already bad situation for the armed forces in Nigeria. When the civil war broke out in 1967, the Biafra regime was more cohesive and forthright than the regime in Nigeria. Biafra seized the initiative to launch international communication war against Nigeria.

The Federal Government and the Nigerian army found themselves on the defensive side of both military and communication wars. Nigeria was accused of genocide by the Biafran regime and documentary films were shown to the international community to buttress their points and so, they won international sympathy.

To counter this adverse image of Nigerian army, a directorate of public relations was established in the army in 1968 and Late Brigadier - General Sotoml (Rtd) was appointed as the first director. The army started the enlistment of civilians into the public relations corps, but, unfortunately, most of the enlisted officers were non public relations professionals. They were mainly broadcasters and journalists. The fact was that senior army officers then, lacked the ability to appreciate the importance of public relations as they were used to regimental life.

After attending a training programme by the British Institute of Public Relations in 1969, Brigadier Sotomi initiated a programme of sponsorship of men and officers to higher institutions in Nigeria. This policy actually paid off. The bulk of the most senior army officers, including the former director of information, Brigadier-General Fred Chijuka, benefited from such training programme in 1973. This writer was also sponsored to study mass communication at the University of Lagos.

The Nigerian army now has a full- fledged public relations professional directorate. Most of the officers are members of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations.

Development in the Navy:
Like the Nigerian army, the Nigeria navy also has its share of credibility problems during the civil war. Men and officers of the Nigerian navy were held in high esteem before the civil war. As a supporting force to the army, men and officers of the navy were accused of vandalisation of public property by the Biafran regime. The navy established its directorate of naval information in 1973 with the appointment of Commodore O.A. Oladimeji (Rtd) as ttle first, graduate of mass communication of University of Lagos to be enlisted into the Nigerian navy. The navy, like the army, now has a full-fledged information corps. Many of the officers are graduates in social sciences and mass communication. They are also members of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations.

Growth in Air Force:
Amongst the armed forces, the Nigerian air force was a little slow in accepting the principles of public relations. Like its two counterparts, the Nigerian air force was accused of bombing civilian targets during the civil war. Within a span of three years of the civil war, the Nigerian air force lost most of its senior officers to air disasters. This damaged the more, the already battered image of the air force. In 1973, almost simultaneously with the navy, Nigerian air force established its own information department. Unlike in the army and the navy, public relations is yet to be fully recognised in the air force.

Public relations in the Police
The Nigeria civil war had the most telling adverse effect on the Nigerian police force. All officers and men of eastern origins left the force to form the nucleus of the Biafran Police and army. As the easterners were the largest group in the police, their withdrawal to eastern region had a telling civil order management on the rest of the country.

When General Gowon created more states in Nigeria in 1967, this inadequacy became more pronounced in the new states. The image of the Nigeria Police was at its lowest ebb during the civil war, and immediately after the end of the hostility, armed robbery, hired assassination and other criminal tendencies became the order of the day.

To redeem its image, the Police started the enlistment of public relations officers into the force in 1971. The first set of 10 officers was appointed on Assistant Police Superintendent grade. By 1978, police public relations department has gained recognition throughout the country. Mr. Bara Heart was the first head of police relations to be promoted as commissioner in 1975. The frequent changes of governments and also that of police inspectors general, had adverse effects on the police public relations attitude.

After Alhaji Kam Salem, who initiated the establishment of police public relations, other successive inspectors-general seemed to have a different notion of public relations concept. Many of the seasoned professional public relations police officers have been retired or have left the services in protest.

With all the efforts of the founding fathers of police public relations, the reputation of Nigeria Police is still in the doldrums, as the corporate image of police does not fair better. To redeem the image of the force, the police service commission should make it a point of policy to include public relations in the syllabus of Police Colleges all-over the country.

NIPR Presidents:
In the first published register of members of Nigerian institute of ‘Public Relations, it was stated that the InstitutE? has had seven president from 1963 . Jan. 1993. The founding president of NIPR in 1963 was Late Dr. Sam Epelle. He reigned for eight years. He was the only president of the institute being honoured annually with gold-paper lectures. The struggle for professional recognition, in fact, actually started with his regime. He was the one who encouraged people like me, Nathaniel Iyanda and Simeon Isibor, former PRO of University of Benin Teaching Hospital, to come into the profession. His era witnessed the recognition of public relations by the federal government to a certain extent.

The second president was Mr. Tonye Willie-Harry. He was the first from industry and he emerged from the oil sector. He spent three terms, between 1972 and 1975. He remains one of the past presidents of the institute who keeps abreast of the happenings in his constituency. He continued the good works of his predecessor of encouraging members to take the examinations of the British Institute of Public Relations.

Chief Kanu Offonry, FNIPR, next came on board as the third president of NIPR. He spent two terms. Less I forget, elections were being held annually then. He reigned between 1975 and 1977. He led the Nigerian delegation to IPR Conference in South Africa, where Nigeria influenced other delegates from Africa and other commonwealth countries to boycott the international conference. He also came from the oil sector.

Next came Alhaji Ikhazs Yakubu, former Public Relations Adviser (PRA), UAC of Nigeria Plc. During his reign, the institute started relating with other public relations institutes and associations in Africa. This culminated into the formation and holding of the first Federation of African Public Relations Associations conference in Nigeria in 1978. His’ era also witnessed the re­design of the logo of the institute. He spent two terms.