—————— A Chapter record · Est. 1963
Rooted in
our history.
Chief Victor O. Oshinowo
I must say that I feel highly honoured to have been asked to give a brief history of the growth of public relations in Nigeria. I do not think I am the only veteran around, and I feel there are others better qualified to handle the subject than myself — but I shall try to lead you into how our institute became what it is today.
Sometime in 1961, a group of men and women, mostly from the multinational companies in Lagos and the public sector, gathered to discuss forming an association. Progress was slow at first, but by 1962 their efforts began to yield results: information officers from the Federal Ministries joined the conversation, and regular meetings were held on the rooftop of the Mobil Oil Company building along Broad Street, Lagos.
“In July 1963, the Junior Minister in the Federal Ministry of Information formally inaugurated the Institute — then known as the Public Relations Association of Nigeria.”
At the time, there were only two real centres of practice in the country: Lagos and Enugu. Lagos was not yet a branch in its own right — it was recognised, by geography alone, as the nucleus of the national body, since it held the bulk of members for national elections. Enugu, meanwhile, did the heavier lifting: organising seminars and inviting Lagos members to attend, while the national body itself did comparatively little.
It was at one such seminar in 1978 that Mr. P. E. N. Malafa and I began to discuss forming a real Lagos branch. On our return, we started holding meetings at the UNILIFE office, offered to us by Mr. Ted Oviosu, the pro-tem secretary, while I served as pro-tem chairman. Elections followed: I became the first Chairman of the Lagos State Chapter, and Mr. Oviosu its first Secretary. Benin branch came soon after — another strong chapter that organised seminars of its own.
There have been many dedicated members since, and I do not intend to go into every detail here. But I feel genuinely happy at the present state of the institute today.
— The brief history above cannot be regarded as complete; it was drawn from memory, not from the records. Thank you.
Six decades, in order.
1961
Informal beginnings
Practitioners from Lagos’s multinational companies and public sector start gathering to discuss forming an association. Little comes of it at first, but the group doesn’t give up.
1962
Momentum on the rooftop
Federal Ministry information officers join the discussions. Regular meetings settle into a rhythm atop the Mobil Oil Company building on Broad Street, Lagos.
Jul 1963
Formal inauguration
The Junior Minister for Information, Hon. Yerokun, formally inaugurates the Public Relations Association of Nigeria (PRAN). Dr. Sam Epele becomes first President, Ogbuefi Alex Nwokedi first Secretary, and Chief Dotun Okubanjo first Treasurer.
PRAN FOUNDED
1975
Kenya Conference
Nigeria takes part in the conference that gives rise to the Federation of African Public Relations Associations (AFRA) — the profession’s first continental body.
1978
Lagos State Chapter formed
After years of Enugu outpacing Lagos in organising seminars, Chief Oshinowo and Mr. P.E.N. Malafa convene meetings at the UNILIFE office. Elections follow — Oshinowo as first Chairman, Ted Oviosu as first Secretary. Nigeria also hosts the AFRA conference this year.
CHAPTER ESTABLISHED
1981
On the international stage
Nigeria attends IPRA conferences in London and the Netherlands, and the FAPRA conference in Accra — where Nigerian delegates are elected President and Treasurer, with two more taking seats on the council.
Those who did the founding.
Names carried down through the chapter’s own memory — pioneers of the earliest meetings, and the presidents who followed.
Early pioneers, 1961–63
Chief Dotun Okubanjo. 1st Treasurer
Ogbuefi Alex Nwokedi. 1st Secretary
Dr. Sam Epele 1st President
Past presidents
Chief Bob Ogbuagu. Enugu
Mike Okereke. Enugu
In closing
A history still being written.
The account above draws on memory rather than the archive — if you hold records, photographs, or corrections that sharpen this story, the chapter would welcome them.