APC UNDER SERIOUS FIRE... #APC, PRCAN, Stakeholders at War Over Foreign PR Firm# While reactions continued to trail the decision APC to engage a foreign firm to handle its political communications for the 2015 general elections, the public relations practitioners under the aegis of the Public Relations Consultants Association of Nigeria, PRCAN, has descended heavily on the APC over the propriety of the party’s action. Asked what would happen if the party refused to back down, the PRCAN president said, as an unfolding issue, he would not disclose the next line of action yet, pointing out that the body is well informed and knows what to do. Commenting on the matter, National President of Nigeria Institute of Public Relations, NIPR, Dr. Rotimi Oladele, said the decision of APC was unexpected; stressing that Nigeria has good number of firms that can handle any type of political communications within Nigeria. He echoed PRCAN’s position that no foreign agencies will understand Nigeria’s socio-cultural and political terrain better than Nigerian firms. Reacting to APC’s explanation that the firm was engaged to take care of research, investigations and inquiry, Oladele insisted that even at that, there are a good number of such agencies in Nigeria, which have foreign affiliations and expertise to do the kind of work AKPD was contracted to do. He noted further that the foreign firm APC contracted would at the end of the day come down to make use of Nigerians and then pay them peanuts to do the job, whereas the reverse should have been the case. It should be recalled that last month, the story circulated in Nigerian dailies that the APC had engaged a foreign public relations firm, AKPD of Chicago to handle the party’s political communications for the 2015 general elections. Even before the PRCAN could react, the ruling PDP had condemned the move, describing it as a betrayal of trust of the professional competence of local firms. The PDP, while expressing shock over the announcement by the APC urged Nigerians to resist such attempt by the party to throw the nation back to imperialism, 54 years after independence. According to a statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Olisa Metuh, “In engaging the services of a foreign firm, the APC has shown that it does not have faith in our people, our indigenous consultancy firms and the well qualified, world acclaimed Nigerian professionals and technocrats.” PRCAN had also faulted the move on the grounds of extant Nigerian laws, respect for Nigerian professionals and job creation. “It is dumbfounding that a political party that positions itself as progressive and actuated by a desire to reposition Nigeria would by its actions show its preference for foreign professionals against tried and tested practitioners at home, thereby evincing a contrary desire to promote local unemployment. “Political communication is country specific and follows from the dictum that all politics is local. Local issues will determine the direction of the pendulum in the next elections. Certified local professionals who live and do business in the country are in the best position to understand the issues, including the local nuances and peculiarities of our media. “Nigerian law is very clear. Only persons certified by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations can practice public relations in Nigeria. Only persons certified by the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria can similarly offer advertising counsel. Byelaws No 3 of NIPR Act 16 of 1990 further requires certification for consulting firms who wish to offer public relations service in the country. Beyond law, Nigerian communication agencies have successfully managed political communication in elections over the years. It is heartrending that APC would throw away a rich history of political communication strategy and messaging in Nigeria for the quixotic notion of being associated with the strategists for US President Barack Obama. The body therefore gave notice to APC and other political parties of its resolve to ensure a stop to the practice of bringing in foreign communication firms to handle briefs that Nigerian agencies are qualified to manage. Enough is enough”, the statement read. Reacting on the issue, President of the African Public Relations Association (APRA) and Managing Director of CMC Connect, Yomi Badejo-Okusanya expressed surprise on the announcement that APC has appointed a foreign agency to handle its political communications for the 2015 general elections. He said he is in support of the umbrella association, the PRCAN, stating that what APC did goes contrary to the policy of encouraging local agencies where the expertise is readily available. Badejo, while expressing dismay on the development, quickly added that until details of the terms of engagement of the US firm are released it would be too early to condemn the action of the APC. He stressed that while he believed there are local agencies that can do the job, if however, the brief for the foreign agency is to handle the APC’s international relations in Europe and America, ‘then, there is nothing wrong with that since the foreign firm may be better equipped to deliver’. Badejo also believes that any foreign firm engaged would still need to work with the local agencies to provide local content, for them to be successful, since the local agencies understand the Nigerian terrain and political environment.
Posted on: Thu, 06 Mar 2014 15:01:07 +0000
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