BY Busola Aro
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has commended the induction of two of its members of staff into the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, (FNIPR) fellowship.
The staff inducted include Reuben Muoka, director of public affairs, and Omoniyi Ibietan, head of media relations in the public affairs department of the commission.
In a statement on Monday, Umar Danbatta, executive vice chairman, NCC, said the induction of both members of staff into the NIPR was meritorious, and a testimony to the commission’s promotion of professionalism and excellence in its scheme of management.
He said the commission was proud to have “produced these individuals who have been considered worthy of elevation to the fellowship cadre of the prestigious institution like the NIPR”.
According to him, their emergence resonates with two of the commission’s core values: excellence and professionalism; which the commission coincidentally shares with the NIPR.
Danbatta, who is also a professor of electrical and electronics engineering, with many fellowships, expressed delight at the level of performance of the commission’s staff in their different areas of professional calling.
He further commended the NIPR for its commitment to the regulation of the practice of public relations in Nigeria for which it has found an ally in NCC.
“This can only rekindle the healthy collaboration and partnership existing between the NCC and NIPR, especially in the area of capacity-building and commitment to appropriate national social orientation,” Danbatta said.
According to the statement, Muoka, holds an M.Sc. in mass communication from the University of Lagos with a specialisation in public relations and advertising, after a postgraduate diploma in the same field from the same university; and he had earlier obtained a bachelor’s degree in performing arts from the University of Ilorin.
Besides being a fellow of NIPR, he is also an associate of the Registered Practitioners of Advertising, (ARPA).
He had worked for many years as communications editor in Vanguard Newspapers during which he also chaired the league of communications correspondents, one of the platforms that championed the deregulation of the telecom industry in Nigeria.
He also worked for MTS First Wireless, Nigeria’s first mobile network operator, where he rose to the position of deputy general manager. In 1999, Muoka received a fellowship involving a Pan-African training and tour, leading to the award of a diploma in journalism, at the instance of the Egyptian ministry of information, and the African Journalists Union (AJU), in Cairo, Egypt.
Meanwhile, Ibietan earned a PhD in communication from North-West University in South Africa. He had earlier obtained an M.A. in communication and language arts from the University of Ibadan, a B.A. in communication arts from the University of Uyo, and a journalism diploma from the Moscow-based International Institute of Journalism, Abuja Campus.
He was the freedom house Nigeria project’s regional media researcher in the Niger Delta until his appointment in 2006 as special media assistant to the federal minister of information and communication, during which he popularised the use of new media for public communication in Nigeria.
He is a member of the African Council for Communication Education (ACCE) and the International Institute of Communications (IIC).
Also, Ibietan joined the NCC in 2008 and was deployed to the legislative and government relations (LGR) department where he was the frontline liaison staff of the commission with the national assembly.
In 2010, he served as manager of media and public relations under Muoka’s supervision and became a senior manager in 2017.
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