Kano State Commits Land for NIPR Permanent Facility Construction

The Kano State Government has committed to providing a parcel of land for the construction of a permanent office complex for the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) within the state. This significant announcement was made by Sunusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, the Director-General of Media and Publicity to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, on Saturday. He shared this information during an awareness walk organized by the Kano State chapter of the NIPR, which culminated at the Government House.

Representing the governor, Bature also confirmed Kano State's full commitment to participate in the upcoming World Public Relations Forum. This global event is slated to take place in Abuja from November 15 to 21, 2026. Bature stated, "The first promise is that this road walk is staged in preparation for the World Public Relations Forum. His Excellency has confirmed full participation of Kano State in this first-ever World Public Relations Forum that is happening in Nigeria."

Furthermore, the governor has instructed the Kano NIPR chapter to formalize their request for the land intended for the institute's future permanent facility. "He directed me to ask the state chapter to write to him a request for allocation of land where the NIPR facility is going to be built in the future," Bature conveyed.

In response, Aliyu Yusuf, the Chairman of the Kano NIPR, extended gratitude to Governor Yusuf for his administration's invaluable support and pledges to the institute. He expressed confidence that these assurances from the governor would bolster the NIPR's operations and significantly contribute to enhancing the professional capabilities of public relations practitioners across the state.

Bature further highlighted the state government's readiness to collaborate with both the national and state chapters of the NIPR. This partnership aims to promote continuous training and retraining initiatives, thereby ensuring strict adherence to professional ethical standards within the public relations field. He affirmed, "Kano State Government is willing to invest and partner with the NIPR national and state chapters to ensure that our new members are trained and retrained to ensure true adherence to the ethics of the practice of public relations in Kano State."

Additionally, Bature reassured media and public relations professionals operating in Kano of the government's unwavering dedication to their safety and the smooth conduct of their professional duties. He quoted, "As the media-friendly governor of the year 2025, His Excellency has assured the safety of journalists working in the state and the safety of all residents and visitors of Kano State."

The Director-General also revealed that the state government had allocated over N150 million in 2026 for various welfare programs targeting media and public relations professionals. These interventions included provisions for mobility, essential working tools, housing support, and medical assistance. He concluded by stating the government's openness to considering legitimate requests from other professional bodies, including the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and the Correspondents Chapel.

The World Public Relations Forum, organized by the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management and hosted by the NIPR, will be held under the theme, “Responsible Communication: The Voice of the World.”