Nigeria’s Reputation Economy Needs PR To Sell Trust, Not Spin

By Jennete Ugo Anya

The Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) is challenging practitioners to redefine their role beyond publicity and messaging, placing knowledge, reputation, trust, relationships and hope at the centre of professional practice amid Nigeria’s economic and social pressures.

DEVELOPMENT:

NIPR President, Dr. Ike Neliaku, gave the charge at the institute’s 3rd Quarter Induction of new members in Abuja, urging practitioners to become “dealers in information and knowledge” who understand societal trends and provide solutions.

“If you don’t have information, you cannot connect. If you don’t have knowledge, you won’t even understand the trends in society so as to know how to provide solutions,” he said.

Neliaku said that reputation had become a critical asset for individuals, organisations and nations because it reduces the risks associated with dealing with them. He cited the development of the Dangote refinery, arguing that Aliko Dangote’s reputation and credibility helped attract investment.

He also described PR professionals as “dealers in relationship,” urging them to build networks that are not driven solely by immediate transactions. On the national mood, he said practitioners should communicate hope without denying reality.

“We are facing challenges in the nation. No doubt. But that does not mean that you should become hopeless or you should become a messenger of hopelessness. No, that’s not public relations,” he said.

DATA:

The story provides no quantitative measure of Nigeria’s reputation, public trust or the economic value of professional PR. But the central proposition is economic: reputation reduces perceived risk, while credibility can strengthen an individual’s or organisation’s ability to attract investment, build relationships and influence stakeholders.

SIGNIFICANCE:

For businesses, governments and investors, reputation is increasingly an intangible asset with tangible consequences. Poor credibility raises the cost of persuasion, weakens stakeholder relationships and can undermine confidence. Strong credibility, by contrast, can support investment, partnerships and institutional legitimacy.

NAN Managing Director Ali Muhammad Ali reinforced this point, describing reputation as a currency. “With reputation you build businesses, even win elections, and calm communities. With reputation you restore trust, and you as PR practitioners are custodians of that currency,” he said.

NEXT MOVE:

The critical test is whether practitioners translate the call into higher standards of evidence, transparency and professional accountability, particularly in Nigeria’s rapidly evolving digital information environment.

Ali warned against confusing strategic communication with deception: “PR is not lying, the public is not dumb, and is not stupid.” His warning places credibility at the heart of the profession’s future.

OUR LENS:

Nigeria does not merely have a communication problem. It has a trust problem. PR can help rebuild that trust, but only if practitioners understand that reputation cannot be manufactured indefinitely through spin. In an information-saturated society, credibility is becoming the real professional currency, and hope has value only when it is anchored in truth.

Jennete Ugo Anya is a journalist and researcher with interests across Nigeria’s economy, public policy, business, development and strategic communications.