The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has defended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s reform agenda as necessary to secure Nigeria’s long-term stability.
He said the government must ensure that the gains from the reforms translate into improved infrastructure, stronger public services and better living conditions for Nigerians.
Speaking at the maiden Bashir Adamu Chedi Annual Memorial Lecture and the Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, Kaduna State Chapter, Idris described the removal of petrol subsidy as a “difficult but necessary” decision to end an unsustainable regime that had drained public resources for decades.
“The responsibility of government is therefore to ensure that the gains from reform translate increasingly into better infrastructure, stronger public services, greater economic opportunity and improved living conditions,” he said.
The lecture, themed “Bridging Generations: Strengthening Public Relations Through Mentorship,” was instituted in honour of the late Mallam Bashir Adamu Chedi, a former Secretary and Chairman of the Kaduna Chapter, Governing Council member, and Fellow of the Institute.
Idris called on public relations practitioners to bridge generational gaps through mentorship and to uphold truth and integrity amid the rise of artificial intelligence and misinformation.
“His greatest legacy was not the positions he occupied. It was the people he influenced, the younger practitioners he encouraged and the professional values he represented,” Idris said.
The Minister warned that technology is reshaping communication, with social media turning everyone into a publisher and AI enabling the rapid creation of fabricated images, cloned voices, and manipulated videos.
“In this environment, public relations cannot simply be about publicity. Our real business is trust.
“Technology will change. Platforms will come and go. Artificial Intelligence will become more sophisticated.
“But the foundations of our profession must remain: truth, credibility, integrity, responsibility and respect for the public,” Idris said.
He urged senior practitioners to guide younger professionals, and younger practitioners to value experience while introducing new ideas.
“Young practitioners must not dismiss experience as outdated, and senior practitioners must not regard innovation as a threat.
“Bridging generations means bringing these strengths together,” Idris stated.
The Minister of Information linked restoring public trust in government communication to the Tinubu administration’s policy direction.
He highlighted the federal government’s push for Compressed Natural Gas as a cheaper, cleaner transport alternative, and ongoing efforts to strengthen security agencies against terrorism, banditry and kidnapping.
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Idris also spoke on the national conversation around state policing.
“Nigeria’s security architecture must evolve with its realities.
“Bringing policing closer to communities can strengthen intelligence and improve response to local threats,” he said.
With another electoral cycle approaching, the Minister cautioned PR professionals against spreading falsehoods for political convenience.
“We must verify before we communicate and defend professional ethics regardless of who employs us.
“We must explain without deceiving, persuade without manipulating, correct misinformation without suppressing legitimate disagreement,” he elaborated.
Idris described Chedi as a friend and colleague whose professional values should guide the Institute.
He prayed for the repose of Chedi’s soul and commended the Kaduna Chapter for establishing the annual lecture.
“May it grow into a national platform for mentorship, professional reflection and the advancement of ethical public relations practice.
“May the life of Mallam Bashir Adamu Chedi continue to remind us that our most enduring legacy is often not what we achieve for ourselves, but what we deposit in others,” Idris said.
The AGM brought together senior and junior members of NIPR to review the chapter’s activities and chart a new course for the profession in the state.
