By Victoria Onehi
The Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Development Specs Academy (DSA), to kick-start a REBIRTH Nigeria programme.
The Institute says the partnership is part of the strategic efforts towards achieving the New Dawn agenda of its current leadership.
Speaking in Abuja during the official signing ceremony on Saturday, the President and Chairman of Council of the Institute, Dr. Ike Neliaku, decried the dwindling culture of excellent service delivery in the country, noting that the REBIRTH Nigeria initiative was deeply thought out with rich contents to reposition the country, from a private sector direction.
Explaining further, he said REBIRTH is an acronym, with focus on national transformation through Re-inventing the Essence, Beauty, Integrity, Resourceful, Tradition and Heritage of the country.
Dr Neliaku in a statement by NIPR highlighted the four pillars of the Programme as values re-orientation, citizens education, promotion of made-in-Nigeria products, and excellence in service delivery, stressing that value is a critical ingredient in nation-building as no nation can grow above its cherished values.
“There is need to re-enlighten our citizens on matters of nationhood and national development. Also, it is important to initiate campaign that will draw the attention of both government and citizens on the need to begin to patronise made-in-Nigeria goods to rebuild our economy”.
The NIPR boss expressed hope that this private sector approach will bring the needed transformation to the citizenship of Nigeria.
In his remarks, the Executive Director of the Development Specs Academy, Prof. Okey Ikechukwu said the academy, which is a human capital development platform has been at the forefront in driving the campaign for nation-building.
According to him, the Academy has consistently targeted the youth community in a bid to create the right quality of humans that will help in building a new society.
Prof. Ikechukwu who is a fellow of NIPR said he was motivated into seeking the partnership with the Institute after last NIPR Citizens Summit where it demonstrated to have the right structure, nationwide presence and disposition for such important Programme of national character and significance.
While thanking NIPR for buying into the idea, he said nations are not built by luck or accident, but by efforts of human beings with the right ideas.
“Nigerians need to be equipped to do specific things for the society to be better. There is no better way to do it than talking to the people in a way they will understand and through a platform they trust and believe”.
The partnership has an initial lifetime of three years, which is renewable on needs basis.
