By Miriam Humbe
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has pledged to support the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) in the successful hosting of the 2026 World Public Relations Forum scheduled to hold in November this year.
Caroline Embu, the Director, Information and Public Relations disclosed this in a statement signed on Wednesday.
The NYSC Director General, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, made the pledge when he received a delegation of the NIPR, led by its Vice President, Professor Emmanuel Dandaura, at his office in Abuja.
General Nafiu emphasised the importance of image-making and perception management to the survival and growth of organisations, noting that effective corporate communication was relevant to every sector of the society.
He commended the NYSC Public Relations Officers for their effort in projecting the image of the Scheme positively, stressing that image-making and perception management had been integral to the NYSC since its inception.
“Image-making and perception management has been part of NYSC since inception,” he said.
The Director General also lauded Professor Dandaura for his contributions to the establishment of the NYSC National Cultural Troupe.
He further commended the NIPR for its support and understanding during the recent abduction of 16 Corps Members in Kogi State, who were subsequently rescued by security agencies.
General Nafiu assured the delegation that the other requests made by the institute in connection with the forthcoming forum would be given due consideration.
Earlier, Professor Dandaura, who spoke on behalf of the NIPR President, Dr Ike Neliaku, congratulated the NYSC Director General on his achievements during his peacekeeping missions and commended him for his accomplishments since assuming office as the Chief Executive of the Scheme.
He also commended the NYSC for mentoring Corps Members and exposing them to Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) opportunities.
Professor Dandaura disclosed that representatives from 126 countries were expected to participate in the World Public Relations Forum, which would attract more than 2,000 delegates from across the globe.
He said the week-long programme would feature, among other activities, the unveiling of a University of Public Relations and Leadership to be established in Nasarawa State.
According to him, partnering with the NYSC would provide an opportunity to showcase the Scheme and Nigeria to the international community through the participation of foreign delegates.
“We have a youth summit and we are also unveiling a University of Public Relations and Leadership,” he said.
He appealed to the NYSC to provide Corps Members who would assist with the organisation and coordination of the forum, stressing the importance of having well-trained Nigerian youths to interact with and guide international participants.
“We think NYSC should take a central place because we are expecting a lot of guests. We need tour guides and Corps Members that will work with us, whom we can monitor their behaviour and who will sell Nigeria appropriately,” he said.
Professor Dandaura added that the NIPR was seeking to train and deploy 100 Corps Members to support the event.
“We want to invite you to partner with us, and we want to have 100 Corps Members that we will train to work with us as participants,” he added.
