Your indispensable roadmap to a PR career in Nigeria

Title: How to Build a Successful Public Relations Career in Nigeria
Author: Efe Obiomah
Year: 2025
Publisher: BrandSpark Limited, Lagos
ISBN: 978-978-777-865-4
Pages: 148

In “How To Build A Successful Public Relations Career in Nigeria,” Efe Obiomah steps into the ring not as a spectator but as a seasoned fighter. She brings the hard-won skills of a veteran practitioner to the vital task of demystifying the vibrant, complex, and often misunderstood world of public relations (PR) for the next generation of Nigerian communicators. This book is more than a career guide; it is a foundational text that aims to clear the undergrowth of confusion and plant the seeds for a strategic, ethical, and impactful profession.

Obiomah’s main task is to address the core identity crisis affecting the field. Is it public relations, corporate communication, public affairs, or simply ‘comms’? This terminological confusion, as she rightly observes, leads to misunderstandings for practitioners, employers, and clients alike. The book’s nine chapters serve as a comprehensive guide, skilfully blending historical context with contemporary debate.

A notable historical debate centres on the claim that the U.S. government banned government PR in 1913. Obiomah mentions this, but further research, drawing on sources such as Mordecai Lee’s work, reveals the issue’s complexity. It wasn’t a straightforward ban on the word “public relations,” but rather a long-lasting series of legislative riders that prevented federal agencies from funding “publicity experts” or “propaganda.” This distinction is crucial.

Curiously, public relations expanded quickly as a discipline in the United States between the supposed ban on its use in government and the post-9/11 lifting. What really happened?

DeepSeek explains that “while the U.S. government never banned the term ‘public relations,’ Congress has a long history of imposing legal and budgetary restrictions on federal agencies’ public information activities. Scholarly sources, such as Mordecai Lee’s book Congress vs. the Bureaucracy: Muzzling Agency Public Relations, document this more than a century-long struggle.

Key legislative actions have included:

• Banning Employment of Publicity Experts (1913-2004): An appropriations rider prohibited federal agencies from using funds to hire “publicity experts” unless specifically authorised by Congress.

• Banning Spending on Publicity and Propaganda (1951-2005): Congress has repeatedly used appropriations bills to forbid agencies from spending money on “publicity or propaganda” purposes not authorised by law.
“These were persistent funding restrictions, not a one-off ban on a word that was later lifted after 9/11. These measures target the function and funding of public relations, not the terminology itself.”

It emphasises a continual tension between the government’s obligation to inform the public and the suspicion of state-sponsored manipulation—an important lesson for transparency and ethics in any setting. The post-9/11 establishment of the Office of Global Communications was not a “lifting” of a ban but a strategic workaround that redefined the role as global messaging rather than domestic “publicity.”

This meticulous approach to definitions is a strength of the book. Obiomah navigates the subtle debate between “communication” (the discipline) and “communications” (the tactical toolkit). While many organisations have shifted to titles such as “Communications Manager,” she offers a persuasive defence of the term “public relations.” Her argument is compelling: the proliferation of alternative names has fragmented the field and diminished its perceived value. For her, PR is not just a channel for transmitting information; it is a strategic function involving brand building, crisis management, stakeholder relations, and more. She advocates a return to “public relations” to reflect the profession’s full scope and strategic significance.

Obiomah states: “I discovered that scholars tend to defer to the use of ‘communication’ to refer to the discipline and ‘communications’ to refer to the promotional mix, which denotes advertising, public relations, sales promotions, direct marketing, personal selling, and digital marketing collectively.”

This conceptual grounding leads to a thorough examination of the field’s core debates: Is PR about reputation or relationships? Is it a subset of marketing or a specialised arm of mass communication? She showcases definitions from UK and US professional bodies, and the seminal 1978 Mexican Statement. Obiomah situates her practice within both global and local contexts. Her personal 2025 definition elegantly synthesises these influences, emphasising “positive actions and communication” to build relationships, earn credibility, and generate goodwill.

As she defines it, Public relations is a strategic management role that uses positive efforts and communication to develop mutually beneficial relationships, foster understanding, gain credibility, and create goodwill. Essentially, it involves managing relationships and reputation with the long-term aim of influencing an organisation or brand’s audiences to attain favourable results.

Obiomah’s concerns align with the views of Nigeria’s top public relations authorities. In July 2025, the NIPR Council examined and approved a Nigerian definition of public relations that states: Public Relations is a strategic leadership role that builds trust, reputation, lasting relationships, and promotes inclusive development through ethical, transparent, and culturally respectful communication.

There is helpful guidance on the steps to take when starting a career in public relations. She draws on various experiences and exposures across the sector to offer insightful advice on working in-house or in consultancy.

The book is most insightful when it transitions from theory to practice. For aspiring professionals, cross-mapping PR functions with specific stakeholders is an invaluable tool. Both the reader and aspiring professionals will find great value in aligning public relations functions with the appropriate stakeholders. For example, the PR function related to investors is investor relations; the three tiers of government are managed through public affairs or government relations; and for media, content creators, and influencers, it is media relations.

Obiomah draws on twenty years of experience, including key roles at MultiChoice Nigeria, Econet Media (Kwesé TV), and the pioneering team that launched Etisalat Nigeria, to offer practical guidance on navigating between in-house and consultancy roles.

A dedicated chapter on “Media Relations in Nigeria’ stands out, recognising that the playbook from foreign textbooks often requires a complete rewrite for the Nigerian context. However, the book’s most insightful contribution might be the “Obiomah Influence and Progression Model.” This framework, identifying allies, advocates, advancers, and authorities in the workplace, is a masterstroke. It encourages the young PR professional to view their career progression as the ultimate test of their relationship-management skills— a brilliant and practical application of PR principles.

Perhaps the book’s most persuasive argument is for PR as a “business philosophy.” Obiomah suggests that the most strategic approach is to integrate PR-minded thinking at every level of an organisation, so that each employee recognises that their actions, whether large or small, influence the brand’s reputation. She also explains that the often-vague idea of ‘goodwill’ is tangible over time through an organisation’s ability to shape perceptions and influence stakeholder behaviour.

This insightful contribution is tucked in almost as a sidebar. Obiomah should consider expanding the thesis.

The book has minor flaws. The claim that the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) was established in 1977 is superficially correct but overlooks its origins in the earlier Nigerian Television (NTV) Service. The Obasanjo era of consolidating and renaming federal government broadcast organs marked the founding of NTA and FRCN in 1977. This inaccuracy is one that a keen editor might have noticed. Nevertheless, this does little to lessen the book’s considerable value.

Efe Obiomah, a renowned PR consultant and trainer with an impressive portfolio including UBA Group, Heirs Holdings, and qualifications from CIPR (UK) and CIM (UK), has authored an essential guide. “How To Build A Successful Public Relations Career in Nigeria” is vital reading not only for students and beginners but for any practitioner seeking to understand the unique dynamics of the Nigerian PR landscape. It is a clear-sighted, passionate, and strategic call to develop a more defined, respected, and influential profession, one well-trained practitioner at a time.