Richard Ikiebe, chairman of the board of directors of BusinessDay, was decorated as an Honorary Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, NIPR, as part of the institute’s Diamond Anniversary Celebrations.
The NIPR’s Honorary Fellowship is the highest honour reserved for individuals who have used their fields of endeavour to make significant contributions to the advancement of the Public Relations profession in Nigeria and beyond
Richard was joined in receiving the Honorary Fellowship by 16 other men and women, including Tony Akiotu, the Group MD of Daar Communications, five senators and two former Nigerian Ministers of Information – Frank Nweke II and Labaran Maku.
Notably, Richard Ikiebe’s influence extends beyond policy formulation. During the historic June 1990 moment when Decree No. 16 of 1990 officially recognised NIPR as a chartered professional body, Ikiebe’s contributions behind the scenes cannot be overstated.
According to Ogie Eboigbe, Communication Specialist, when Ikiebe was the Policy Adviser to Tony Momoh, the Minister at the time, Ikiebe worked tirelessly to ensure the successful realisation of the decree.
His strategic guidance and unwavering dedication were instrumental in navigating the complexities of the political landscape, thereby securing a bright future for the Public Relations profession in Nigeria.
Before the enactment of Decree No. 16 of 1990, the field of Public Relations in Nigeria was plagued by a lack of regulation, allowing for the proliferation of both professionals and charlatans. Ikiebe’s visionary leadership and advocacy for regulatory frameworks, including the establishment of NIPR by-laws, codes of conduct, and ethics, was said to have laid the foundation for a more structured and reputable practice of Public Relations in Nigeria.
“His efforts served as a catalyst for professionalisation within the industry, ensuring that practitioners upheld the highest standards of integrity and professionalism,” said Eboigbe.
With a PhD in Media & Communication from the University of Westminster, London, United Kingdom – where he also served as a Visiting Scholar in 2018 – Ikiebe believes African teachers of journalism must re-evaluate their epistemological origins and confront the wholesale adoption of values that are not compatible with their cultural origins.
Ikiebe is a member of the faculty of the School of Media and Communication, SMC, of the Pan-Atlantic University, Lagos, Nigeria, where he is a Senior Fellow and Director of the Centre for Leadership in Journalism (CLeJ). He teaches graduate and executive courses in Journalism, Journalism History, and Media Leadership.
In 2012/13, he served as a member of the Global Communication Certification Council of the International Association of Business Communicators IABC to prepare a syllabus and implement a certification scheme for ISO standards for the marketing communication profession.
In the last several years, Ikiebe has helped establish several indigenous language churches to cater to internal migrants from the north into the metropolis of Lagos. He is the Chairman of the Board of BusinessDay Newspaper, the daily business newspaper in Nigeria, and Chairman of Techpoint.ng, a Nigerian online technology media.
He has also authored titles such as ‘Nigerian Media Leaders Voices Beyond The Newsroom Volume 1 and 2’ and ‘Future Tense.’