By Ayomide Otitoju
The Managing Director of the NNPC Foundation, Mrs. Emmanuella Arukwe, has urged organisations to adopt deliberate strategies in managing public perception, warning that reputational survival depends on proactive and transparent engagement.
Arukwe gave the charge while delivering a keynote address at the Reputation Roundtable organised by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Federal Capital Territory Chapter.
Themed “The New Architecture of Corporate Integrity: Navigating Power, Perception & Purpose,” the two-day capacity-building programme brought together Directors of Public Relations and spokespersons from government and private sector organisations.
In her address, Arukwe emphasised that organisations must move beyond defensive communication and instead adopt proactive, truth-based strategies to reshape unfavourable public perceptions into value capital. She noted that corporate integrity is anchored on consistency between communication and conduct.
“We must engage stakeholders consciously, consistently and conscientiously. Transparency must become an administrative culture. Organisations must exist beyond profit-making and move from doing good to being good,” she said, adding that enduring legacies are built on ethical stewardship.
Arukwe, a Fellow of NIPR, highlighted that the Foundation’s mandate is rooted in a stewardship philosophy, with social investments structured as measurable interventions designed to promote accountability and transparency.
In his remarks, Chairman of NIPR-FCT, Mr. Stanley Ogadigo, described the roundtable as a platform for reputation managers to enhance their skills and strengthen their professional relevance within their organisations.
He expressed satisfaction with the level of participation and the quality of presentations at the event, held at the Transcorp Hilton. Participants also received training on digital skills and the deployment of Artificial Intelligence in professional practice.
Dignitaries at the event included the Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria, Malam Ali M. Ali; the Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria, Malam Jibrin Baba-Ndace; Director-General of the Army Resource Centre, Major General J.G.K. Myam (Rtd); Chief of Civil-Military Relations, Nigerian Air Force, Air Vice Marshal Edward Gabkwet; former Director-General of the National Broadcasting Commission, Dr. Danladi Bako; and former Director-General of the National Orientation Agency, Dr. Mike Omeri, among others.
