By John Alechenu
The Nigeria Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) and the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to promote the World Public Relations Forum (WPRF), which Nigeria is hosting, in order to boost the nation’s reputation.

The Acting National President of NIPR, Professor Emmanuel Dandaura, signed the MoU on behalf of the institute, while the Managing Director of NAN, Ali Mohammed Ali, signed on behalf of the agency, at a brief ceremony in Abuja on Wednesday.

In his remarks at the ceremony, Prof. Dandaura said the World Public Relations Forum being hosted by Nigeria next month would serve as a catalyst for the improvement of Nigeria’s national and international image.

He said, “The WPRF holding from March 15-21st will serve as a big boost to Nigeria’s reputation. This is coming at the heels of the release of the Nigeria Perception Index Report…

“We believe Nigeria stands to benefit from hosting this event because we are bringing in people including leaders of countries. The African Public Relations Association (APRA) is also 50. There are celebrations everywhere.

“We are looking at institutions that can leverage on what NAN represents. We believe at the end of the day, we will point at tangible benefits. NAN is our official Digital and Wire Service Provider for WPRF, the biggest, brightest, boldest event.”

In response, the NAN MD, Ali said, “The News Agency of Nigeria is a natural ally for this event. NAN is partners with so many global brands: Reuters, AfP, Xinhua and many others.

“We have over 400 editorial staff in several offices across the nation and beyond. All national news organizations rely on NAN for content.”

He assured that the agency will continue to deploy its capabilities to not only publicize the event.