Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State has accepted the bid to host the 2026 Nigeria Public Relations Week, promising that the event would be one of the best ever organised.
Sani gave the assurance when he received the President of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Dr Ike Neliaku, and his delegation on a courtesy visit to Sir Kashim Ibrahim House.
The Governor said Kaduna State would nominate two government officials to serve on the National Planning Committee and three others to join the Local Organising Committee.
He stated that the event’s theme, ‘Food Security: From Policy Paper to Public Plates – The Public Relations Imperatives’, aligns with the Kaduna Peace Model, which focuses on non-kinetic approaches to addressing insecurity.
Sani noted that insecurity in the state was linked to economic hardship, food insecurity, and loss of hope, challenges his administration was addressing through strategic investments in agriculture and social infrastructure.
He recalled that when he assumed office, agriculture received less than one per cent of the state budget.
“However, the current administration has increased the allocation to 12 per cent, surpassing the 10 per cent benchmark set by the Malabo Declaration,” he said.
According to him, agriculture contributes 43 per cent of Kaduna State’s GDP and employs about 60 per cent of its population.
“Over 500,000 hectares of land have been reclaimed and farmers have returned to their farms,” he added.
Sani stated that Kaduna was the first subnational government in Nigeria to launch a Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone, aimed at transforming agriculture into a high-value sector and generating employment.
He also disclosed that the state was partnering with Afreximbank to establish an Agricultural Quality Assurance Centre (AQAC) to improve post-harvest handling and market access.
Sani said 192 Primary Healthcare Centres and all schools previously closed due to insecurity had been reopened within the last two years.
He added that peace had returned to formerly volatile areas such as Birnin Gwari and Giwa, where economic activities had resumed.
The Governor noted that the UK Government had recently upgraded Kaduna’s security status from “red” to “amber”, lifting travel restrictions imposed in 2022.
“While our citizens and development partners are celebrating peace, conflict entrepreneurs are clearly uncomfortable with these gains,” he said.
Earlier, Neliaku said Kaduna was selected to host the 2026 Public Relations Week after a rigorous evaluation, with Kano standing by as an alternative.
He explained that the PR Week, which started in Abeokuta and later moved to Uyo for its second edition, would lay the groundwork for Nigeria’s hosting of the World Public Relations Forum in November 2026.
“This will be the second time the World Forum is coming to Africa, and the first time to Nigeria,” he stated.
Neliaku further revealed that Nigeria was working with the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication to establish the world’s first University of Public Relations and Leadership.
(NAN)