Assessing the Awareness, Implementation and Effects of Provisions of NIPR Decree on Qualifications and Eligibility to Practice Public Relations in Nigeria

Assessing the Awareness, Implementation and Effects of Provisions of NIPR Decree on Qualifications and Eligibility to Practice Public Relations in Nigeria.

ABSTRACT  

The purpose of this research work is to assess the level of awareness, implementation and effect of the provisions of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations Decree on qualifications and eligibility to practices Public Relations in Nigeria. Literature on the practice of PR before and after the promulgation of the decree and general practice of PR and PR education were exhaustively reviewed.

Questionnaires and oral interviews were the key instruments used. Books and journals also served as sources of secondary data. The main methods of analyzing data collected were the simple percentage for testing the research questions and chi – square for testing the hypothesis. Based on the data collected and analysis, the following major finding, conclusions and recommendations were made.

One of the key problems besetting the practice of PR in Nigeria especially in the area of qualifications and eligibility to practice PR was the invasion of the profession by unqualified practitioners. Therefore, when the NIPR decree 16 of 1990 was promulgated, the institute vigorously published the Decree (especially the provisions on qualifications and eligibility to practice PR in the country).  

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CERTIFICATION- – – – – – – – – i
APPROVAL – – – – – – – – – ii
DEDICATION – – – – – — – – iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS – – – – – – – iv
ABSTRACT – – – – – – – — – v
TABLE OF CONTENTS – – – – – – – vii

CHAPTER ONE – – – – – – – — 1
INTRODUCTION – – – – – – – – 1
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE PROBLEM – – – – 1
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM – – – – 2
1.3 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES — – – – – 3
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS – – – – – – 4
1.5 HYPOTHESES — – – – – – – 4
1.6 SCOPE OF STUDY – — – – – – – 5
1.7 LIMITATIONS OF STUDY – – – — – – 5
1.8 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY – – – – – 6
1.9 OPERATIONAL DEFINTION OF KEY TERMS – – 6
REFERENCES – – – – – – – – 8

CHAPTER TWO – – – – – – – – 9
2.0 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE – – – – 9
2.1 INTRODUCTION – – – – – – – 9
2.2 HISTORICAL BRIEF ON PUBLIC RELATIONS IN SOME
PARTS OF THE WORLD – – – – – – 10
2.3 HISTORY OF PUBLIC RELATIONS IN NIGERIA – – 12
2.4 LEGAL BACKING FOR PR PRACTICE IN NIGERIA – – 14
2.5 PUBLIC RELATIONS PRACTCE IN NIGERIA
AFTER THE DECREE – – – – – — 17
2.6 PUBLIC RELATIONS EDUCATION (A GLOBAL OVERVIEW) 22
2.6 PUBLIC RELATIONS EDUCATION IN NIGERIA – – 27
2.7 PROFESSIONALISATION OF PUBLIC RELATIONS
PRACTICE IN NIGERIA – – – – – – 29
2.8 SUMMARIES – – – – – – – 32
REFERENCES – – – – – – – – 35

CHAPTER THREE – – – – – – – – 37
3.0 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY – – – – – 37
3.1 INTRODUCTIONS – – – – – – – 37
3.2 POPULATIONS FOR THE STUDY – – – – 37
3.3 THE STUDY SAMPLE – – – – – – 37
3.4 THE RESEARCH INSTRUMENTS – – – – 38
3.5 PROCEDURES FOR DATA COLLECTION—- – – 39
3.6 PRIMARY DATA – – – – – – – 39
3.7 SECONDARY DATA – – – – – – 40
3.8 METHODS OF DATA ANALYSIS – – – – 41
REFERENCES – – – – – – — — 42

CHAPTER FOUR – – – – – – – – 43
4.0 PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA – – 43
4.1 INTRODUCTION – – – – – – – 43
4.2 RESTATEMENT OF HYPOTHESES – – – – 49
4.3 TEST OF HYPOTHESES ONE – – – – – 50
4.5 TEST OF HYPOTHESIS TWO – – – – – 51
4.6 TEST OF HYPOTHESIS THREE – – – – – 53
4.6 TEST OF HYPOTHESIS FOUR – – — – 55
4.7 DISCUSSION OF RESULTS – – – – – 57
4.8 RESPONSES OF NIPR SECRETARIAT OFFICIALS
TO ORAL INTERVIEW – – – – – 58
4.9 RESPONSES OF EMPLOYERS OF LABOUR TO
ORAL INTERVIEW – – – – – 59
4.9.1 DISCUSSION – – – – – — – 60

CHAPTER FIVE – – – – – – – – 62
5.0 SUMMARY OF MAJOR FINDING CONCLUSION
AND RECOMMENDATIONS – – – – – 62
5.1 INTRODUCTION – – – – – – – 63
5.2 SUMMARY OFMAJOR FINDINGS – – – – 63
5.3 CONCLUSION — – – – – – – 63
5.4 RECOMMENDATIONS – – – – – – – 63
5.5 SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH – – – 64

BIBLIOGRAPHY- – – – – – – – 66

INTRODUCTION  

Public Relations is as old as creation. But organized Public Relations can be said to have started seriously in the United States in 1900 when the first publicity outfit was founded by George Michaelis. However, Ivy Ledbetter Lee has the credit of pioneering Public Relations in the U.S. In Britain, organized Public Relations was associated with Sir Stephen Talents in 1926. (Lloyd;1970) Back home in Nigeria, we experienced the waves of Public Relations in late 1940 during the World War II.

Public Relations started in Nigeria from the Information Office established in Lagos to disseminate information about the war. The office was later renamed Public Relations Office in 1944. In the Private sector, the first organization to establish a PR department was the United African company, popularly known as the UAC, the unit was called the information department in 1949. The Nigerian railway corporation also established its own PR unit in 1956, also the Shell petroleum development company then known as BP created its own in 1969.

Other British firms also established their own Public Relations Units saddled with all kinds of duties – Publicity, Propaganda and Public Relations, (Osuji,1990). Because PR practices in the country from inception had an amorphous structure, all kinds of people were attracted and they paraded themselves as Public Relations Practitioners not minding their lack of experience and knowledge of what Public Relations is all about.

Dr. Sam Epelle, Nigeria’s one-time Director of information in order to silent these abusers of Public Relations, spearheaded the plan to set up the Public Relations Association of Nigeria (PRAN).  As a result of PRAN’s efforts, some Nigerians who became interested in Public Relations joined the British Institute of Public Relations overseas while others travelled overseas to study Public Relations formally. But because of the few number of qualified practitioners and lack of training facilities within the country, employers of labour continued to employ all comers. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Abodunrin T (1995) Fundamentals of Public Relations, Lagos; one sources Publishers (Nig) Ltd.

Abuoga J.B and Absolom A. M (1988) The History of the Press in Kenya Nairobi Africa Council for Communication
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Bagwan V. and Viday B (1981) Public Administration New Delhr S. Chand and Company Ltd.

Balck .S. (1979) Introduction of Public Relations ,Lagos; West African Book Publishers.

Cutlip .S M. & Allen H.C. (1978) Effective Public relations, New Jersey Prentice-Hall line.

Greensed. C.S. Jardine A. K. A. & Macfarlane J.D (1978) Essentials statistics in Marketing, London: William
Heinemann Ltd.

Haywood R. (1984) All about PR, Berkshire McGraw-Hill Book Company.

Kogan I. S. (1984) Modern Business Public Relation, New York Alexander Hamilton Institute.

Lloyd. H. (1970) Public Relations, London. The English Universities Press Lt.

Newson D. and Scot A. (1985) This is PR ,California: Wadsworht Publishing Company.

StudentsandScholarship Team.