The Lead Partner at CMC Connect, Mr. Yomi Badejo-Okusanya has enjoined the students of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism to instill Artificial Intelligence (AI) into their works in order to be productive.
Mr. Badejo-Okusanya gave the charge during a professional forum tagged ‘PR in the Age of Tech & AI’, which was held in the school hall on Wednesday.
In his address, he thanked the Provost, Mr. Gbenga Adefaye and management of NIJ for the invitation and for their impacts in the journalism space in Nigeria.
He highlighted the significance of branding in public relations, noting that the purpose of branding is uniqueness (differentiation).
“Great people lead by example. For you to be great, you must be a leader, for you to be great, you must be a pacesetter, you must think outside of the box.
“For you to practice public relations, you must be a member of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR),” the PR expert stated.
He explained that the NIPR is the ‘body’ that is empowered to regulate the activities of PR professionals in Nigeria, stressing that failure to be a registered member of NIPR can lead to a jail term or fine.
Commenting on the biggest challenge in the PR industry, he said that not so many professionals can write catchy and engaging stories, explaining that AI has transformed communication and engagement with the audience.
The NIPR fellow stressed the significance of AI in the PR industry – and encouraged the students to be tech-savvy.
His words: “The earlier you are AI compliant, the better. AI has made immediate feedback, virtual events and webinars possible. It has significantly enhanced the capability of PR practitioners by enabling them to analyze trends and leverage data respectively.”
According to him, influencer engagement has changed the operations of PR practitioners in the modern era as opposed to experts in the past, who relied on press releases and traditional media.
He noted the growing role of AI in enabling instant interactions through chatbots and virtual assistants, with AI tools poised to enhancing the efficiency of identifying, evaluating, and collaborating with influencers moving forward.
However, the former Chairman, Lagos State Chapter of NIPR disclosed that the use of AI should not give room for laziness – and highlighted the importance of original contents in the PR industry.
The students were provided with the opportunity to ask questions in order to enhance their knowledge in the world of PR.
On his part, Mr. Adefaye emphasised the need for role model in the age of AI and technology.
The Provost lauded the veteran and presented an award to him – noting that his expertise in the PR industry cannot be overemphasised.
The dignitaries present at the forum include the management and lecturers of the institution and some of them include; the Registrar, Mrs. Patricia Kalesanwo; Deputy Provost, Dr. Boye Ola; Director of Special Programmes, Dr. Jide Johnson.
Others are Head of Department (HOD), General Studies, Mrs. Popoola Maureen; HOD, Mass Communication, Mr. Mike Osuji; immediate past Deputy Provost, Dr. Dele Omojuyigbe, Lecturers; Mr. Femi Osuntoki, the host (Mr. Jack Amaso), Mrs. Odum Oruoma, to mention a few.
CMC Connect, a strategic marketing communication firm was founded 32 years ago and has continued stay afloat by delivering top-notch services with a team of dedicated and hardworking professionals.
