Lawrence Nwimo, Awka
Professor Pat Utomi has advocated for the redesigning of the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) and building an effective National Orientation Agency as the pathway to gaining social reconciliation in Nigeria.
Utomi made the calls at the 2nd edition of HRM Obi Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe Lecture Series, calling also for the adoption of a values-based political party system to promote truth and justice in the governance of the country.
The event themed: “Achieving Peace and Reconciliation in Nigeria: the Public Relations Approach,” was organised by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, NIPR, Anambra State Chapter in collaboration with Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, COOU, Anambra State.
Utomi, who was the Guest Lecturer at the event stated that solving the problem of peace and reconciliation in Nigeria should begin with research to identify how the challenge manifests. He also established need to identify the key stakeholders and how they contribute to the problem and design programmes that create dispositions for reconciliation.
According to him, while discontentment is a global phenomenon, understanding what is fueling it is critical in prescribing solutions.
He said the nature of political parties which have evolved in Nigeria and the quality of leadership in the country have led to despondency which requires the creation of goodwill rooted in evidence-based prescriptions for a Nigeria devoid of the dysfunctions of ethno-religious and other cleavages.
Earlier, in his opening remark, the Chairman of the occasion, Sen Ben Ndi Obi, described the theme of the event as critical particularly when Nigeria is in dire need of peace, noting that a peaceful atmosphere is key to sustainable development.
The President and Chairman of Council, Dr. Ike Neliaku, in his address stressed the need to promote public relations as a core leadership function that can engineer effective communication between leaders and citizens to enhance good governance, as well as the need for responsible alliance to make leaders accountable for whatever they do or say.
In their separate speeches, the special guest, Hon. Aliyu Wakili Boya, who is the Chairman, House of Representative Committee on Police Institutions; and the chairman, National planning committee, Prof. Okey Ikechukwu represented by the Vice Chairman of Council, Prof. Emmanuel Dandaura, noted that the theme of the lecture captured the conversation needed in Nigeria today where eminent personalities gather to speak on how to entrench peace in the country.
