The Nigeria Institute of Public Relations has decried the growing infiltration of the public relations profession by unlicensed practitioners, warning that quacks are damaging the image of the profession and misleading organisations.
The Chairman of the Rivers State chapter of the NIPR, Rev. Francis Asuk, raised the concern on Thursday during a lecture marking the 2026 World Public Relations Day, organised in collaboration with the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education in Port Harcourt.
Asuk blamed the activities of unqualified practitioners for the misconceptions surrounding public relations, stressing that only licensed professionals are qualified to manage strategic communication for governments and organisations.
He said PR had evolved beyond information dissemination to a strategic leadership function within organisations.
“We have observed that people who are not professionals, who are not chartered, who are not members, are secretly entering into the profession and creating confusion, creating all the wrong perceptions that sometimes come.
