VP Shettima Charges PR Practitioners On Clarity Of Govt Reforms, Policies

ǰThe Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, has charged Public Relations (PR) practitioners in Nigeria to concisely and clearly communicate government reforms and policies to the public in a manner that would foster confidence and trust.

Specifically, he noted that policies and reforms, such as those being undertaken by the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, can only succeed if the citizens understand how they serve the public good.

Senator Shettima, who gave the charge on Tuesday in Kaduna during the 3rd Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) Week CROC City 2026 being hosted by the state governor, Senator Ubah Sani, also commissioned the newly built Brigadier Abba Kyari Banquet Hall, Sir Kashim Ibrahim House, at Government House, Kaduna.

Speaking at the NIPR week 2026, the Vice President underscored the indispensability of public relations to communicating government policies, observing that policies and reforms that are poorly explained often lead to public distrust and resistance.

“As a government, we regard public relations as a strategic function of governance. It is integral to building trust, managing uncertainty, and sustaining reform. We must communicate not only what we are doing, but why we are doing it, how it serves the public good, and what place the citizen occupies in the success of that effort.

“Governance cannot afford to be distant. Policy cannot afford to be opaque. Leadership cannot afford to speak a language the people no longer understand,” he stated, observing that no matter how brilliant policies are in conception, “they must be explained, trusted, and translated from technical language into human meaning.”

Dwelling on the theme of the third NIPR week, “Food Security: From Policy Paper to Public Plate,” VP Shettima told the PR practitioners that their profession assumes central national importance only if their translation of government policies “speak to the anxieties of the farmer in the field, the merchant in the market, and the family around the dinner table.”

The Vice President outlined measures being taken by the Tinubu administration to ensure food security in the country, stating that feeding the nation is at the heart of the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

His words: “His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has placed feeding our nation at the heart of the nation’s economic and social agenda. We have taken bold steps to confront this challenge with the seriousness it demands. We declared a state of emergency on food insecurity.

“We advanced mechanisation by deploying 2,000 tractors. We established a ₦100 billion agricultural fund. We scaled up dry-season farming. We introduced targeted input subsidies. And we strengthened partnerships to unlock investment across the agricultural value chain.”

These efforts, according to him, can only be “vindicated when the farmer feels relief, when the market reflects the change, and when the household experiences the difference,” even as he observed that a “policy that does not reach the farm, the market, and the home remains unfinished business.”

He implored the NIPR to continue to elevate the standards of their noble profession by insisting on ethics, professionalism, and evidence-driven practice, assuring them that the Tinubu administration stands ready to engage and work with them.

Also speaking at the event, Kaduna State Governor Sani described the Vice President as a steadfast and loyal pillar of support for President Tinubu.

He said while Food Security has become an urgent consideration in shaping the future of Nigeria, the Kaduna State government will contribute its own quota towards achieving food security, by giving the agriculture sector more budgetary allocations.

On his part, President of African Public Relations Association (APRA), Arik Kirani, urged Nigerians to always tell their stories confidently because the country has greatly improved in all facets.

Kirani praised Nigeria’s new visa processing process, which he said has greatly improved, adding that the airport procedures for foreign visitors are also seamless.

The keynote speaker, Dr Brahim Chisunge from South Africa, commended Nigeria’s progress in food security, maintaining that it is a matter of national security and economic stability.

Mrs Chisunge noted that while Nigeria has a lot of agricultural potential that must be harnessed, policy implementation gaps must be addressed to achieve food security.

In his welcome address, NIPR President, Dr Ike Neliaku, said the NIPR Week was part of the Institute’s intervention to contribute to good governance, noting that the idea is to partner with the government to build Nigeria.

Dr Neliaku revealed that Nigeria will be hosting the global summit on public relations in November this year, where 160 nations will converge, expressing optimism that Nigeria will continue to rise.

Meanwhile, Vice President Shettima also commissioned the Brigadier Abba Kyari Banquet Hall, Sir Kashim Ibrahim House, at Government House, Kaduna, saying the building will inspire a greater ambition to position Kaduna as a destination for regional, national, and global engagement in the nation’s commonwealth.

Speaking during the commissioning, he said it was deeply gratifying that “the bold sweep of infrastructure championed by the Kaduna State Government to secure the welfare of the people has proceeded without neglecting the equally urgent duty to strengthen the architecture of governance itself.”

The Vice President described the Banquet Hall as an enduring legacy and a solemn promise of the order, dignity, and confidence that Kaduna State symbolises, just as he praised Governor Sani for continuing to set the standard due to his understanding of a historical truth that “Kaduna leads while others take notes.”

“And so we must applaud His Excellency, Governor Uba Sani, for matching words with works, for giving visible expression to his convictions, and for proving through steady action that leadership is validated by delivery,” he added.

Also, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, said the construction of a new banquet hall by the Kaduna State government was a show of commitment toward improving infrastructure, stressing that the project aligns with national direction under President Tinubu, whose emphasis is on ensuring investment delivers national values and improves the living conditions of Nigerians.

Explaining why the banquet hall had become necessary, Governor Sani said the construction of the world class edifice was a deliberate effort towards strengthening institutions and governance in the state, as the building would be used “for high level diplomatic interactions that will further showcase our dear state to the world.”

Stanley Nkwocha
*Senior Special Assistant to The President on Media & Communications
Office of The Vice President)
21st April, 2026