Dr. Omoniyi Ibietan, Head of Media Relations at the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has been elected as the Secretary-General of the African Public Relations Association (APRA) during its 35th Annual Conference and Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
Ibietan joins a three-member Executive Council, with Arik Karani from Kenya as President and Dr. Michele Mekeme from Cameroon as Vice President.
A distinguished fellow of both the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) and APRA, Ibietan has committed to working collaboratively with the Executive Council to drive reforms within APRA and expand the democratic space by promoting greater participation of national public relations institutions across Africa. He emphasized his commitment to engaging closely with the African Union Commission and Council of Ministers to integrate public relations into policy, program, and project implementation.
Ibietan brings over 20 years of experience in media and communication, encompassing roles in journalism, academia, policy discourse, communication strategy, regulation, and stakeholder relations. His extensive background includes serving as Special Media Advisor to the Federal Minister of Information and Communication during Nigeria’s Fourth Republic.
An accomplished scholar, Ibietan holds a Ph.D. in Communication from North-West University in South Africa, specializing in political communication. His educational background also includes a BA and MA in Communication Arts from the Universities of Uyo and Ibadan, respectively, and a diploma in journalism from the International Institute of Journalism in Moscow.
At the conference, Ibietan presented a paper titled “Digital Inclusion as Arbiter of Accessible Public Relations: A Case of Nigerian Communications Commission.” Using Castells’ Theory of the Network Society and the Knowledge Gap Theory, he argued that digital inclusion is fundamental to digital public relations. He highlighted the NCC’s initiatives in expanding digital infrastructure as crucial to the digital economy.
The APRA conference, themed “One Africa, One Voice: Bridging Africa’s Communication Divide,” aims to foster unity among Africans and their global allies through meaningful interactions. This year’s conference, endorsed by the Government of Côte d’Ivoire and major global PR associations, also features the Innovation Summit (IN2SUMMIT) and the SABRE Awards Africa.
Ibietan’s election as Secretary-General marks a significant milestone for Nigeria and the broader African public relations community, promising a renewed focus on collaboration, innovation, and strategic development within the sector.