Cross River State Governor, Senator Prince Bassey Edet Otu, has described Nigeria's hosting of the 2026 World Public Relations Forum (WPRF) in Abuja as a significant milestone for the country's public relations practitioners.
The Governor, who was represented by the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Pastor Ekpenyong Ene Cobham, spoke at a sensitisation walk organised by the Cross River State chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) in Calabar.
Speaking on behalf of the Governor, Cobham said the event will serve as a veritable platform for practitioners to engage in more productive and developmental communications that will usher in a new era of information management.
"Nigeria hosting this event is a major and significant milestone, because practitioners from all over the world will assemble to expose their Nigerian counterparts to new strategies and fresh working insights, as well as best practices from different countries," he said.
He said the walk was instructive and would raise awareness and mobilise the wider public to take part in the forum, which holds in Abuja from November 15 to 21, 2026. He added that there was a need to raise the bar and achieve higher standards in the practice.
Cobham, who is an associate of the institute, described his participation in the walk as "a mark of honour." He assured the NIPR leadership that the Governor and relevant government functionaries would be part of the forum.
"We hope and pray that the forum will be successful and yield new methodologies that will help us raise the bar of our practice," he said.
Earlier, the Chairman of NIPR Cross River State Chapter, Pastor Austin Mboso, who thanked members for defying the early morning rains to participate in the walk across major streets in Calabar terminating at the U.J. Esuene Stadium, said the walk was part of a nationwide sensitisation campaign ahead of the forum.
He described the forum as a rare opportunity for Nigerian professionals to share experiences with their global peers.
"Imagine sitting at the same table with people who make decisions and help shape information and narrative around the world. It is a milestone for the nation and for public relations practice," Mboso said.
By Nakanda Iyadim
