The Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, NIPR, has declared that practicing public relations under any guise without NIPR certification is a criminal offense, punishable by fine, imprisonment, or both.
NIPR National President Dr Ike Neliaku disclosed this while speaking at a national press conference and investiture of Jigawa State Governor Umar Namadi as patron of the institute at Sir Ahmadu Bello Hall, Dutse.
Dr Neliaku provided the context for the NIPR authority, saying: “The Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, NIPR, was established in 1963. The body attained the status of a Chartered Institute in June 1990 through Decree No. 15 (now an Act of the National Assembly, cited as CAP N114 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004), from which it derives the power and responsibility to register members, set parameters of knowledge to acquire to qualify to practise, regulate the practice and development of the PR profession, as well as monitor professional conduct through the established Code of Ethics, among others