General News
NIPR Launches Annual PRICE Awards, Ceremony Set for December 7, 2025
Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) has once again strengthened the administration and regulation of public relations practice in Nigeria with the launch of the annual Public Relations, Reputation, Ideas, Concepts and Excellence (PRICE) Awards and Prizes.
The Awards will serve as the body’s premier system for the curation, recognition, exhibition and celebration of outstanding campaigns and accomplishments in the practice of public relations in Nigeria. The maiden edition of the Awards will take place on Sunday, 7th December 2025, at the Abuja Continental Hotel.
Envisioned as a credible and enduring platform to identify, celebrate, and elevate outstanding individuals, campaigns, and organisations shaping the public relations landscape across sectors, the development of the PRICE Awards peaked in September 2025 when Dr. Ike Neliaku, President and Chairman of Council of NIPR, inaugurated the committee to organise the maiden edition of the Awards.
The inauguration of the Committee followed the NIPR Council’s adoption of the report of a technical team saddled with the responsibility of birthing the award.
While inaugurating the 12-member Organising Committee, Neliaku, said, “we have carefully selected you to chart this path for us. Some of you have done us proud on the international stage winning major awards and flying Nigeria’s flag on the global stage.
We are challenging you to come and give Nigeria something similar in terms of prestige, class and colour. Now, we are asking you to give Nigeria her own world class Public Relations awards system.” He further urged the committee to “engage stakeholders, sponsors and partners and organise a world class award ceremony.”
The NIPR President also expressed the confidence that the PRICE Awards will not only motivate professionals, practitioners and scholars but enhance Nigeria’s global competitiveness in the global public relations ecosystem, and strengthen brand equity for all stakeholders, including the NIPR as a leading light of public relations and communication management administration and regulation in Nigeria.
Accepting the responsibility of the Committee, Chairman of the Organising Committee, Israel Jaiye Opayemi, a fellow of the Institute and Managing Director/Chief Strategist of Chain Reactions Africa, expressed the committee’s determination to give the Nigerian public relations community a best-in-class award administration and ceremony. Opayemi noted that the PRICE awards would indeed be an opportunity for our own proverbial prophets to be honoured at home.
“We have been winning international awards and flying the Nigerian flag on the global stage in far-flung places and before a global audience. Now is the time for the best of us to be honoured right here at home and in the presence of the Nigerian people,” he reiterated Neliaku’s commendation and challenge.
Members of the Committee comprising seasoned public relations professionals and scholars include Dr. Omoniyi Ibietan (Vice Chairman), Dr. Mary Ikoku, Edemekong Uyoh, Adesola Oyawoye, Odoh Diego Okenyodo, Damilola Olujide, Beatrice Okpara, Prince MG Duku, Chief Patrick Ukah, Mrs. Chidinma Awak (Secretary) and Kater Amos Foga (Assistant Secretary).
The PRICE award will honour outstanding works across the gamut of public relations and communications by celebrating the primacy of strategy, creativity, innovation and impact across different strata of the practice. It would also honour emerging public relations talents such as students and young professionals with cash prizes and plaques to underscore the value the NIPR places on creativity and excellence.
The NIPR was established in 1963 and chartered in 1990 through Decree No. 16 (now an Act of the National Assembly, cited as CAP n114 laws of the Federation of Nigeria LFN 2004).
It is the first national Public Relations organisation in the world to be chartered. Its enabling law authorises it to register practitioners of public relations, set standards for knowledge acquisition, and regulate the practice and development of public relations in Nigeria.
It is supervised by the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation. It is one of Nigeria’s most active, visible and influential professional bodies. Some of its flagship programmes include the National Spokespersons Summit and the Nigeria Public Relations Week but it is in the news weekly promoting the importance and relevance of public relations and responsible communication management.
In 2023, the NIPR succeeded in getting official proclamation making the practice of public relations a cadre exclusively for professional managers across Nigeria.
The NIPR partners and collaborates with many institutions, organisations and governments globally to enhance the relevance of public relations practice; it is a leading member of the African Public Relations Association (APRA), and an influential member of the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management (GA).
Recently, the NIPR won the bid to host concurrently the World Public Relations Forum (WPRF) 2026 and the APRA Annual Conference in 2026, both taking place from 15-21 November 2026.
MultiChoice, a CANAL+ company, has retained the distribution rights to 12 Warner Bros. Discovery thematic channels following the signing of a new multi-year, multi-territory agreement between CANAL+ Group and Warner Bros. Discovery, marking a significant expansion of their long-standing partnership.
MultiChoice
The new deal, which spans several regions across Africa and Europe, covers the distribution of HBO Max as well as the renewal of selected Warner Bros. Discovery thematic channels. It represents a major milestone in the companies’ international collaboration and strengthens content offerings across MultiChoice Group territories.
MultiChoice disclosed that this agreement builds on earlier partnerships concluded in Europe. “It builds on the landmark agreements concluded in France in 2024,including the renewal of the exclusive pay-TV window for Warner Bros. Pictures films just six months after their theatrical release in France and the integration of HBO Max within select CANAL+ group offers – as well as in Poland in 2025, with the renewal of the distribution agreement for 22 thematic channels (including TVN 24 and Eurosport) and 4 free-to-air channels (including TVN).”
Under the renewed arrangement, MultiChoice Group will continue to distribute 12 Warner Bros. Discovery thematic channels across its territories, with some channels offered on an exclusive basis. CNN International and Cartoon Network will remain exclusive to South Africa while being distributed non-exclusively in other markets. Cartoon Network Porto will be exclusive in Angola and Mozambique and non-exclusive elsewhere. Other channels such as Discovery Channel, TLC, HGTV, Food Network, TNT Africa, Travel, ID and Cartoonito will be offered on a non-exclusive basis.
According to the partners, the deal reinforces CANAL+ Group’s channel portfolio on the continent. “This agreement enables CANAL+ Group to strengthen its entertainment, kids, news, and documentary channel offerings in African markets.”
The agreement is also expected to improve access for CANAL+ Group subscribers to Warner Bros. Discovery’s premium content through HBO Max and selected channels, including globally recognised series and films, further extending the studio’s international reach while consolidating MultiChoice’s content offering in key markets.
Nigeria Police Force has suspended nationwide enforcement of its tinted glass permit policy, hours before its scheduled rollout, in compliance with a Delta State High Court order.
Tinted glass permit
The policy, set for January 2, 2026, aimed to curb vehicle-related crimes but faced legal challenge from a private citizen against the Inspector-General of Police, the force, and Delta Police Commissioner.
An ex parte injunction issued in December 2025 restrained enforcement pending suit determination, prompting the hold announced by spokesperson Benjamin Hundeyin on January 1.
Police entered appearance, filed preliminary objections, and sought injunction vacation; hearing adjourned to January 20, 2026.
The Nigerian Bar Association condemned initial police plans as “executive recklessness,” accusing disregard for rule of law, while police insisted no permanent bar existed on statutory duties.
IGP Kayode Egbetokun reiterated adherence to law while prioritising public safety via intelligence-led strategies during proceedings.
Mr. Thompson Sunday, the Managing Director/Chief Executive of the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), has reaffirmed the Corporation’s strict compliance with fiscal and financial regulations, including the provisions of the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) 2007, noting that the NDIC has consistently remitted the required percentage of its earnings to the Federal Government.
Mr. Sunday made this known during a courtesy visit to the Managing Director/Chief Executive of the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI), Dr. Armstrong Takang, as part of NDIC’s ongoing engagement with key stakeholders following his formal assumption of office in July 2025.
According to him, NDIC takes financial accountability and transparency seriously, stressing that the Corporation complies fully with statutory remittance obligations, including the payment of 20 per cent of gross earnings or 80 per cent of net surplus to the Federal Government, as applicable. He added that NDIC also submits its financial statements ahead of statutory deadlines.
The NDIC MD/CE explained that this culture of compliance aligns with the Corporation’s role as a key institution within Nigeria’s financial safety-net, charged with protecting depositors and promoting confidence in the banking system. He emphasized that adherence to fiscal discipline remains central to NDIC’s credibility and effectiveness.
Mr. Sunday further disclosed that NDIC also complies with the Federal Government’s 50 per cent cost-to-income ratio policy, although he noted that the policy poses operational constraints. He explained that the deductions affect NDIC’s ability to build a strong Deposit Insurance Fund, which is needed to respond effectively to bank failures.
He stressed that international best practices under the Core Principles for Effective Deposit Insurance issued by the International Association of Deposit Insurers (IADI) require deposit insurers to maintain adequate funds to reimburse depositors when banks fail without recourse to government, adding that the NDIC is seeking an exemption to strengthen its capacity in this regard.
Mr. Sunday described MOFI as a critical stakeholder, noting that the Federal Government, through MOFI, holds a 40 per cent equity stake in NDIC. He said sustained collaboration with MOFI is essential to ensuring that NDIC continues to meet its obligations to government while effectively safeguarding depositors’ funds.
In his remarks, Dr. Takang commended the NDIC for its exemplary collaborative spirit and acknowledged the Corporation’s compliance with fiscal regulations. He assured that MOFI would continue to engage the Federal Ministry of Finance on NDIC’s behalf, noting that a strong NDIC is vital to sustaining confidence in Nigeria’s financial system.
Both institutions reaffirmed their commitment to continued cooperation, transparency and accountability, with Mr. Sunday reiterating that NDIC remains focused on balancing regulatory compliance with its overriding mandate of depositor protection and financial system stability.
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