The 12th edition of the Public Relations Masterclass series, organised by the Public Relations Consultants Association of Nigeria (PRCAN), will be enriched by hands-on professionals in the area of interest. With ‘Writing for PR’ as the theme, the faculty will feature seasoned journalist Provost of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Gbemiga Ogunleye.
Scheduled for Friday, October 2, 2015 at the Conference Hall of ADNA Hotel, GRA Ikeja, Lagos, the workshop will also have as resource persons Chido Nwakanma, Ayeni Adekunle, Sola Fijabi and Gani Kayode-Balogun Jr., all experienced public relations consultants and media professionals.
Ogunleye, appointed early in the year to head Nigeria’s leading journalism school, is a well-tested journalist whose experience cuts across the print and broadcast media. Former deputy editor-in-chief of Punch newspapers, he was director of News and Current Affairs at Television Continental, Lagos and pioneer Head of Corporate Communications at Arik Air.
Nwakanma, the immediate past PRCAN president, is a communication and marketing consultant, and scholar with vast cross cutting experience that includes media practice. He earned the M.Sc in Media and Communication of the prestigious Pan African University and is the CEO of BlueFlower Limited, a communication consultancy.
Adekunle is a respected public speaker, communication trainer, consultant and entrepreneur as well as Group President of Black House Media, Nigeria’s premier publicist service and entertainment news content providers. He is the founder of the digital agency, ID Africa.
Fijabi, a Chartered Marketer (CIM UK), is the Principal Partner at Brooks and Blake, a perception management and consulting firm in Lagos. An alumnus of Leeds University Business School, United Kingdom, he has over a decade experience in marketing communication and was in the team that helped in establishing Nigeria as the fastest growing market for Guinness in the world.
Kayode-Balogun Jr. is the CEO of GKB News Digest. With rich experience in print and broadcast journalism, he was Deputy Director at National Mirror, Head of Business Development for the Tribune newspapers and the Punch newspapers.
The PRCAN capacity development initiative, known as the PRCAN Public Relations Masterclass, commenced in 2008 but began to run on a more regular basis in February 2011. Previous workshops had been on “Managing Online Public Relations and Social Media”, “Planning and Managing Strategic Public Relations Campaign,”, “Understanding Media Relations,” and “Effective PR Account Management”, among others.
According to John Ehiguese, PRCAN President, the PRCAN Masterclass Series is the association’s own noble contribution to capacity growth in the communications sector.
PRCAN Public Relations Masterclass has now transformed into the foremost executive short-run manpower developmental programme in public relations and communication management.
PRCAN’s primary objective is to promote professional reputation management in Nigeria within the public and private sectors. It is also committed to maintaining professional standards and discipline among members and providing facilities/professional capacity for the public and private sectors to meet their PR consultancy needs.
The association is the consulting arm of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) established by a bye-law. Membership is exclusively restricted to consulting firms whose key executives must be members of NIPR and registered to practice public relations in Nigeria.
