‘ Ali- Balogun is Most Inspiring PR Practitioner 2021’
NKECHI Ali- Balogun has been named the Most Inspiring Public Relations Practitioner 2021. The honour came at the sixth Lagos State PR Industry Gala and Award ( LAPRIGA). The event, which held on Saturday December 18, 2021 had John Ehiguese, Emeka Opara, Debola Williams and Adekunle Ayeni for nominees in the category.
Ali- Balogun had, in the past, won the following awards from the Institute: Lifetime Achievement Award ( 2018), Most Outstanding Public Relations Practitioner for two years consecutively ( 2010 and 2011).
A Fellow of Nigeria Institute of Public Relations ( NIPR), AliBalogun is also a member of the Governing Council.
Ali- Balogun is the founder/ convener of NECCI PR Roundtable, a not- for- profit event designed to foster global relationship using communication.
Over the years, it has evolved to become an epoch PR event, where communication expert deliberate on topical issues to bring about paradigm shift in governance.
At the 19th edition last year, President of African Development Bank, Akinwunmi Adesina, was the keynoter. He spoke on the theme, Social Media, National Security and Social Change.
Ali- Balogun, who spoke with The Guardian after her award, said, “there is urgent need for PR to begin to reframe conversations and reshape the narratives of the current crisis facing the country.”
She believes that as communicators and relationship menders, PR practitioners should be aware of the role they play in building peace.
The PR practitioner said, “rather than ban or censor the use of social media, PR experts must counsel government on the positive impact of social media as a tool to counter fake news and threat narratives.”