The media campaign of CCC which was promoted by Image Merchants Promotions Limited, publishers of PRNigeria was among the three awards won by African organisations from about 30 countries in 60 categories.

The Centre for Crisis Communication (CCC) which was established in June 2015 as a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) provides capacity building assistance in information and media management to military, intelligence, security and response agencies in Nigeria. It engages in crisis communication management and has trained over 500 Officers within two years.

Other winners from Africa include Corporate Communication Award on Vodafone by Global Media Alliance, Ghana and Business-to-Business Award on Santam by Atmosphere Communication, South Africa.

Speaking on the award, the Executive Secretary of CCC, Air Commodore, Anas Yusuf (Rtd) commended the organiser for the award which he said would motivate his organisation to improve its services to the stakeholders.

Yusuf urged public and private institutions to be proactive in their strategic communication in tackling conflicts and crises before they arise.

The President of African Public Relations Association (APRA) Yomi Badejo-Okunsaya commended African award winners. He said that: “Africa has again shown that it is no pushover in global public relations by picking up a number of awards at the 2017 GWA.”

“APRA congratulates all the winners for the impressive outing but reaffirms that there is a lot more work to be done if we intend to command the respect of our peers across the world. PR practitioners in Africa must engage more creativity, innovation and dynamism to effectively announce our arrival on the global stage.

“Finally, I urge more Africans to enter more entries because judging from the winning works, we stand a good chance of recording even more wins.”

The event witnessed winners across the globe from Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America, Middle-East and Pacific. Global PR agencies including Weber Shandwick, Fleishman-Hillard, Dentsu, Hill-Knowlton, Edelman and Burson-Marsteller carted away more trophies on behalf of their clientele in several countries.

The Golden World Awards (GWAs), often dubbed the ‘Oscars of PR’, are the world’s most prestigious PR awards in various categories. IPRA is the leading global network for public relations professionals.

It aims to further the development of open communication and the ethical practice of public relations. It fulfils this aim through networking opportunities, its code of conduct and intellectual leadership of the profession.

With over years of experience, IPRA, recognised by the United Nations, is now present throughout the world wherever public relations are practised.

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Minister of Interior, Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (retd) announced this in Abuja when he received a delegation from the Centre for Crisis Communication (CCC) led by its Executive Secretary, Air Commodore Yusuf Anas (retd).

He said he was already working with his counterpart in the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbe in that direction.

“It is necessary to partner with the CCC in the area of strategic communication because this ministry is the hub of public safety and internal security and basically what we do here is to enhance the ease of doing business in Nigeria.

“We are working with the Ministry of Agriculture to create a special force in the Civil Defence that will protect agricultural investments and products”, he stated.

On the situation in the North-East, Dambazau said government is currently doing a lot of training for the police and the NSCDC in order to deploy them in all liberated areas, charging the CCC to assist the government in her peace-building efforts.

He said; “the issue of crisis communication is fundamental towards not only resolving crisis but also in peace-building. So, you have a lot of role to play particularly now that we are experiencing all forms of crisis in addition to the one in thee North-East.

“For people who are abroad, their major source of information is the media. If they keep reading negative reports about crisis in any part of the country, they will not come and invest because the impression they would have is that Nigeria as a whole is not safe.

Earlier, Air Commodore Anas (retd) thanked the minister for accepting to be part of the centre’s forthcoming seminar on crisis communication in Port Harcourt.

He said the interior ministry has a strategic role in the security architecture of the country, considering that it superintends over the police, immigration, fire service, civil defence, prison service and other paramilitary services.

“The Centre has been synergizing with the agencies under the ministry and we want to assure you of closer partnership in the area of managing crisis communication. This is especially necessary because information dissemination is a very vital component of the change agenda as timely and careful release of information is crucial to avoiding destructive rumours”, he stated.

Present at the occasion were the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Bassey Okon Akpayung, Executive members of the CCC, Navy Commodore Kabir Aliyu (retd), Chidi Omeje, Abdulazeez Nurudeen and a public relations consultant, Yushau Shuaib.

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The campaigns were carried out by PRNigeria for the Nigeria military and other security forces at a very critical period in the nation’s war against terrorism.

The IPRA is the world’s highest PR body with members including public relations bodies across the world. The Golden World Awards, often dubbed the ‘Oscars of PR’ are the world’s most prestigious PR awards.

An email to the Publisher of PRNigeria from Member Services Manager of IPRA, Janice Hills states that “I am delighted to inform you that your entry on ‘Managing Security Information on War on Terror in Nigeria’ in the Crisis Management Category is a winner in the 2016 IPRA GWA Awards… Please make a note in the diary for Saturday 5 November 2016 for the IPRA GWA Gala Awards ceremony in Doha, Qatar.”

Through its parent body, Image Merchants Promotions Limited, PRNigeria has been actively engaged in changing the media narratives from Boko Haram propaganda to PR approach strategies of security agencies in Nigeria. It has also remained the major source of official information from military, security, intelligence and response agencies.

The nomination for the award which was screened and judged by a panel of Communication scholars and top PR practitioners in Brussel, Belgium at the weekend, considered PRNigeria’s campaigns as one of the most unique innovation in collaborative efforts in crisis management.

Reacting to the award in Abuja, the Founder and Publisher of PRNigeria, Yushau Abdulhameed Shuaib disclosed that the award could not have been possible without the excellent relationship established and sustained between spokespersons of major security agencies and the media in Nigeria.

Shuaib said: “To us this is not an individual or personal award but an award for all participants in a project that reports Nigeria positively to local and international audiences … It is an award for exemplary leadership qualities and inter-agency collaborations of 17 agencies that form the Forum of Spokespersons of Security and Response Agencies (FOSSRA) which gives birth to Centre for Crisis Communication (CCC).

“It is an award in recognition of the defeat of inter-agency rivalry by speaking with one voice in timely and responsible manner on counterterrorism campaigns and security consciousness in the country

“It is indeed an award for the overwhelming cooperation from traditional and online media for supporting the campaign at the most critical period of insurgency in Nigeria

“That strategic synergy between the security agencies and the media is the genesis for the global award. Therefore, the award is for all the participants in the critical sector of crisis communication in Nigeria.

“Though in an emotional moment like this, we have realised that an employee can be discarded with right hand and yet recruited with left hand to serve the same employer to the best of his ability. We are glad to have humbly and professionally served the system outside the system in the past three years” he concluded.

As the operator of most popular Press Release platform in Nigeria, PRNigeria has over 300 top media executives in its unique mailing list and has issued over 2000 Press Releases on behalf of its clients since its inception in 2013.

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The Golden World Awards are the world’s most prestigious PR awards.

In a congratulatory message to Publishers of PRNigeria, the IPRA Member Services Manager, Janice Hill wrote thus: “Congratulations you are a Golden World Awards Finalist for your entry: Managing Security Information on War on Terror in Nigeria in the Crisis management – Agency category.”

She said that the first round of judging is complete as a number of entries have been put through as finalists for the next round of in-person judging next month in Brussels.

Through its parent body, Image Merchants Promotion, PRNigeria has been actively engaged in changing the media narratives from Boko Haram propaganda to PR approach strategies of security agencies in Nigeria.

It has also remained the major source of official information from military, security, intelligence and response agencies.

Through the establishment of Forum of Spokespersons of Security and Response Agencies (FOSSRA) and subsequent Centre for Crisis Communication (CCC), PRNigeria ensures the sustenance of mutual relationship between the media and security agencies for improved quality of timely and responsible reporting on counter-terrorism and security consciousness campaigns.

As the operator of most popular Press Release platform in Nigeria, PRNigeria has over 300 top media executives in its unique mailing list and has issued over 2000 Press Releases on behalf of its clients since its inception in 2013

Speaking on the awards, the IPRA’s President Bart de Vries stated that: “We have seen some great entries in 2016. There was an excellent spread of geographies with a record number of entries from Russia as well as from countries we have not seen entering previously. Community relations, Consumer PR Event management and Public sector proved especially popular this year.”

IPRA is the leading global network for Public Relations professionals. It aims to further the development of open communication and the ethical practice of public relations. It fulfils this aim through networking opportunities, its code of conduct and intellectual leadership of the profession.

With 60 years of experience, IPRA, recognised by the United Nations, is now present throughout the world wherever public relations are practiced.

The annual IPRA Golden World Awards (GWA) initiative, established in 1990, recognizes excellence in public relations practice worldwide in a variety of categories.

The awards meet international standards of excellence in public relations. An overall IPRA Grand Prix for Excellence is presented each year to the entry judged as representing the highest standards that year.

While there are many national and regional PR awards, there is only one truly global scheme: the GWA.

The Grand Prix 2016 will be announced and special awards presented at a Gala event in November 2016.

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The seminar will hold in the North East (Bauchi) on the 21 and 22 of June, 2016. It will be recalled that the seminar series which was declared open in Abuja in April, 2016 by the Honourable Minister of Defence, Mansur Muhammad Dan-Ali drew participants from headquarters of the military, security and response agencies.

Following the success recorded in the April seminar, the Centre with the support of Nigeria Stability and Reconciliation Programme (NSRP) is replicating the programme in the North East and the Niger Delta regions of the country where crisis information management is more challenging. The essence of moving the seminar around is to build the capacity information officers of these agencies who are operating in the zones.

With the theme, “Enhancing the Capacity of the Public Relations and Information Officers in Addressing Crisis Situations”, the seminar is aimed at strengthening the capacity of target participants – public relations and information officers of military, security and response agencies – to relate with the media more professionally, adopting the best practices in the management of information.

It is also hoped that the platform will enhance better synergy and coordination amongst security agencies and media organisations in the dissemination of crisis information.

The expected to participants in the seminar are public relations and Information Officers from the Defence Headquarters, Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Air Force, Nigeria Police, Department of State Services, National Intelligence Agency, Nigerian Customs Service and Nigeria Prisons Service.

Others are Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Federal Road Sefety Commission, Federal Fire Service, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences commission among others.

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The Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Tukur Buratai gave this reassurance when he received in audience the Executive Secretary of the Centre for Crisis Communication (CCC), Air Commodore Yusuf Anas (Rtd) who led the management of the centre to pay him a courtesy visit in his office.

Gen Buratai stated that the troops of the Nigerian Army are gallant patriots who have the interest of the corporate existence and integrity of the Nigerian state at heart and have sworn to do anything and everything possible, including laying down their lives, in order to the defend the country.

Buratai said: “The Army will henceforth ensure that gallant soldiers who die in action are given a publicized befitting burial with full military honours.

“In fact, even if it means conducting it in arrears, we will ensure that our fallen heroes are given befitting national burials. Aside from that, we have also ensured that immediate family members of our fallen officers and soldiers receive prompt payment of all their entitlements and other welfare supports.”

While noting that the Nigerian troops are engaged in various operations across the country in line with its constitutional responsibility, the Army Chief charged every patriotic Nigeria citizen to do whatever he or she can do to ensure the safety and progress of the country.

On the recent altercation with Shiites group in Zaria, Gen Buratai maintained the Army’s position that there was nothing like premeditated murder of some of the sect’s members as alleged by such groups as Amnesty International.

“How can anybody accuse a responsible armed agency of government of murder? On the contrary, the people were attacking the soldiers with petroleum bomb and other weapons. In actual fact, not all of them knew how to handle Molotov they were trying to use against the Army and it back fired on them.”

Earlier in his remarks, the Executive Secretary of the Centre for Crisis Communication, Air Commodore Yusuf Anas (Rtd), commended the Nigerian Army for its unwavering commitment to the defence of the country from external aggression and internal insurrection.

“We have noted significant successes in the fight against terror since you mounted the saddle of leadership of this great Army and we are happy to say that you have acquitted yourself creditably so far”.

Anas also commended that public relations and information management of the Army noting that it has been very vibrant.

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The Executive Secretary of the Centre for Crisis Communication, Air Commodore Yusuf Anas (Rtd), made this pledge when he led the management team of the Centre on a courtesy visit to the Chairman of EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, in his office at the weekend.

Commodore Anas praised the unwavering commitment of the Commission under the leadership of its current indefatigable Chairman to wrestle corruption to the ground. He expressed his Centre’s confidence on the ability of the Commission under current leadership to win the war against financial crimes in the country.

“You just have to remain focused and determined in this fight; do not be distracted, detracted or derailed even when you have step on big toes. Bear it in mind that all well meaning Nigerians are solidly behind you in your effort to weed out corrupt elements in our country,” said Anas.

Responding, the EFCC Chairman, Mr Ibrahim Magu, thanked the Centre for its encouragement stating that with the support of credible and responsible organisation, the Commission will look back in its determination to bring all corrupt persons to book. He thanked Air Commodore Anas and his team for finding time to come and solidarize with the Commission.

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Executive Secretary of CCC, Air Commodore Yusuf Anas (Rtd) while briefing the press in Abuja on Thursday said that “the time line on when to stop the insurgents from activating sleeper cells and detonating bombs into soft targets in any part of the country, especially in the frontline states is therefore, no tenable in the current efforts by the armed forces of Nigeria.

While agreeing that it might not be wrong to set targets for military operations as was done by President Muhammadu Buhari when he tasked the military to wrap up the fight against Boko Haram by December 2015, “it must also be stated that this target date might be unrealistic. This submission is predicated on the fact that asymmetric warfare which the Boko Haram is prosecuting against the Nigeria is not such that can be easily be stamped out by the Armed Forces.”

Quoting the just concluded United Nations General Assembly, Anas said “that terrorism as an ideology is largely emotive because it has to do with the mind. Force has never been known to combat, in a precise manner, any issue that has to do with the mind.”

The Centre therefore urged Nigerians not to see the December target as sacrosanct date when all suicide bombings will end.

“Similarly, we should also not trade blame with the military over the issue. Nigerians should rather continue to cooperate with the government and support the security forces to ensure that the enemies do not continue to have an opportunity to unleash terror in our country.”

Concerning the millions already displaced by the insurgency especially in the north eastern [parts of the country, the Centre expressed concern about their plight, which it described as precarious and needing urgent attention.

“The Centre is strongly suggesting the establishment of a lead government agency that will develop a Marshall plan for the rehabilitation of all the displaced people in the North East.

“This could also be in the form of Inter- Ministerial Plan with an administrative office with a similar scope as the Presidential Amnesty Programme for the Niger Delta Youths.

“This will oversee the data capturing, profiling and rehabilitation of all the displaced people in the frontline states and other affected states of Nigeria. The plan will identify the priority areas of needs, skills and challenges with a view to settling them productively to avoid recourse to crimes or antisocial behaviour.”

The Centre for Crisis Communication equally noted the serious threats of secession in the past several months by a few individuals and groups in parts of Nigeria including some Yoruba elders and other Igbo groups.

“The Centre views this development as not only grossly uncharitable to the entire nation but unwarranted coming at a time the country is not only consolidating its nascent democracy but also celebrated its 100 years centenary and its fifty-first anniversary.

“These unfortunate secessionist agitations are also coming on the heels of the widely acclaimed free and fair elections that brought about a new government in Nigeria.”

Buttressing his point with video clips of leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), Daniel Kanu on his radio broadcast threatening to burn down Nigeria which he described as “Zoo”, Anas declared recent disruptive protests in some South East and South- South as condemnable.

He said “the Centre strongly believes that the issue of the State of Biafra was historically rested in 1970 following the end of the civil war.

“Therefore, secession should not be an option for any individual or group in Nigeria especially after the 30 months war that killed, maimed millions of lives and destroyed unquantifiable property and infrastructure.

“Unguarded statements and violent demonstrations are therefore unhelpful and capable of escalating unnecessary crisis.”
After monitoring activities of Radio Biafra, “it is the Centre’s conclusion that several contents broadcasted were seditious and even bordering on treason against the Nigerian state.

“This is akin to similar hate messages by a radio station during the Rwandan genocide against sections of the country and the government.

“Indeed, at an earlier media briefing in August, the Centre highlighted the menacing broadcast of the pirate Radio Biafra which no doubt could be described as being on a mission to orchestrate disunity in Nigeria.”

He then urged the Movement for the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and IPOB to seek legitimate avenues of channelling their grievances or injustices on any perceived socio-economic and political issues in their region within the current democratic space.

The Centre then commended efforts of the governors of the South East and other leaders in the region to broker peace and observed that “true leaders in any society always quickly wade into a crisis before it get out of hand.”

CCC however, asked the Federal government to engage the MASSOB, IPOB and indeed any group in a meaningful dialogue within the laws of Nigeria with a view to resolving current or emerging crisis. This is no time to stroke new crisis in the country, but rather a period to cement our unity as one, strong, indivisible and progressive nation.

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It also deployed over 300 ground troops from its special forces to fight along with the Army in the field.

The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Abubakar disclosed this on Wednesday when he received in audience officials of the Centre for Crisis Communication (CCC) led by the Executive Director, Air Commodore Yusuf Anas (Rtd) who paid him courtesy visit in his office.

The Air Force, he said, is doing everything possible to see how peace can be restored in the troubled areas as soon as possible.

According to him, the air component is fully integrated in the counter insurgency operation plans and as such, NAF is using different aircrafts in its arsenal including F-7NI, Alpha Jet, C-130 AC, Augusta 109 LUH, Mi-35, Mi-24, Mi-17, Supa Puma Helicopters, among others to carryout logistics support, reconnaissance and combat operations.

“Where ever the army is going in the battle field, we give them the air support, provide intelligence and clear the ground for them to operate optimally.

“There are challenges no doubt but God willing, we will meet the expectations of the people and the deadline given by the Commander-in-Chief as the government is giving us necessary supports and encouragements”, he stated.

Air Marshal Abubakar expressed his appreciation to the Centre for Crisis Communication for the important job they are doing in trying to streamline and harmonize crisis information in the country for effectiveness.

Air Marshal Abubakar noted that information management is critical to success or otherwise of military operations especially the counter insurgency operation embarked upon by the Nigerian Armed Forces. “If you manage information well, you kill the morale of the enemies,” he opined.

He disclosed further that NAF has embarked on a number of quick impact projects in the north east aimed at winning the hearts and minds of the people.

“In this regard, it has provided medical facilities including clinics, medical laboratories, medical wards and drugs. It has sunk boreholes, provided 50, 000 liters over-head tanks, constructed toilet facilities and shelters for internally displaced persons in the north east.

Earlier, the Executive Secretary of the Centre for Crisis Communication, Air Commodore Yusuf Anas (Rtd) briefed the Chief of Air Staff on the mandates of the Centre and congratulated NAF for the good work it is doing in the north east while condoling it on the death of a number of its officers in a couple air crashes in the course of the operations.

He assured the CAS of the Centre’s willingness to partner its information department to bring to public knowledge the various efforts and sacrifices of the Nigerian Air Force.

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Speaking on behalf of the team, the Deputy Coordinator, Partnership Engagement and Outreach, of the US Centre for Counterterrorism Communication, Stevie Hamilton noted with satisfaction the level of professionalism, commitment and diligence with which the Nigeria’s CCC approaches the onerous task of communicating and managing crisis in Nigeria.

The delegation promised to provide necessary technical support to assist the CCC to grow.

“It is heart-warming to know that a centre of this nature exists in the country and more importantly that it is able to do the kind of work it is doing.

“I have no doubt in my kind that given the necessary support in terms of capacity, resource and institutional backing, the centre will certainly bridge the gap in the access to information that will aid in preventing, managing or mitigating crisis in the country, and how the rest of the world view Nigeria.

“I am really impressed with what you have set out to achieve, what have been achieved already and indeed your sheer determination to succeed in the face of challenges that might be on your way as an NGO.

“We have similar Centre in the US, the Centre for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications, and that’s where am coming from. The whole idea is to find a common ground where we can provide you the necessary assistance to enable you achieve your set objectives and more importantly to serve humanity”, said Hamilton.

Earlier in his welcome remarks, CCC Executive Secretary, Air Commodore Yusuf Anas (Rtd) thanked the officials for finding time to visit the office.

He explained that the Centre came to being in response to the need to fill an existing gap in crisis communication in Nigeria.

Centre for Crisis Communication is actively involved in collecting, collating, processing, harmonizing and disseminating information on any crisis or potential crisis situation in the country, which he said is with a view to providing credible and professional crisis communication to the general public.

“The objective is for the Centre to evolve proactive measures and establish systematic approach to crisis communication to fill the existing communication gap”.

Anas added that the Centre has as its stakeholders all the security and response agencies in Nigeria, which it interfaces with to provide strategic crisis communication.

He expressed the willingness of the Centre to partner with credible organizations like the US Centre for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications as leverage to building its own capacity and quality of services.

It will be recalled that the US Special Envoy for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications, Mr Rashad Hussain recently led his team including Stevie Hamilton to a meeting with Vice President Yemi Osibanjo in the State House.

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