NITRA Hails Muoka, Ibietan On NIPR Fellowship

The National body of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Journalists under the aegis of
the Nigeria Information Technology Reporters Association (NITRA) in Lagos, has applauded the stride in
attainment of Fellowship position conferred on two management staff of the Nigerian Communications
Commission (NCC) by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR).

 The Fellowship investiture to the duo of Director of Public Affairs, Mr. Reuben Muoka, and Head, Media
Relations in the Public Affairs Department, Dr. Omoniyi Ibietan, has been described as a call to duty, as it
places them on the pedestal of being reference points to anyone ascribing to PR professionalism in
Nigeria. 

Speaking to the Fellowship award, the National Chairman of NITRA, Mr. Chike Onwuegbuchi noted that
the awards are very befitting as Mr. Muoka and Dr. Ibietan have shown immense professionalism in
their PR roles both in their present capacities at the NCC and prior.  Mr. Onwuegbuchi however challenged them to remain an example of what PR professionals should be,
both in conducts and duties.
He also advised that they, in their various capacities, should endeavor to mentor and train younger
Nigerians in the act and art of public advocacy and situation management in order to keep their legacy
alive in decades to come.

 While acknowledging the teething display of PR qualities by Mr. Muoka during his years as a journalist
with Vanguard Newspapers, Mr. Onwuegbuchi noted that he was instrumental to the training of those
that served under him and mostly stood as a liaison between his media house and the public.
Mr. Muoka, who is the Director of Public Affairs Department at the NCC, holds an M.Sc. and a Post
Graduate Diploma in Mass Communication from the University of Lagos with M.Sc specialisation in
Public Relations and Advertising. He had earlier obtained a Bachelors degree in Performing Arts from the
University of Ilorin. He is also an Associate of the Registered Practitioners of Advertising, (arpa).
Mr. Muoka was formerly the Communications Editor in Vanguard Newspapers during which he also
chaired the League of Communications Correspondents.

 He also worked for MTS First Wireless, Nigeria’s
first mobile network operator, where he rose to the position of Deputy General Manager. In 1999,
Muoka received a fellowship involving a Pan-African training and tour, leading to the award of a Diploma
in Journalism, at the instance of the Egyptian Ministry of Information, and the African Journalists Union
(AJU), in Cairo, Egypt.

 Dr. Ibietan earned a PhD in Communication from North-West University in South Africa. He had earlier
obtained MA in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan, a BA in
Communication Arts from the University of Uyo, and a Journalism Diploma from the Moscow-based
International Institute of Journalism, Abuja Campus. A noted advocate of freedom and democracy, he
was Freedom House Nigeria Project’s Regional Media Researcher in the Niger Delta until his
appointment in 2006 as Special Media Assistant to the Federal Minister of Information and
Communication, during which he popularised the use of new media for public communication in Nigeria.

 He is a member of the African Council for Communication Education (ACCE) and the International
Institute of Communications (IIC).
Ibietan joined the NCC in 2008 and was deployed to Legislative and Government Relations (LGR)
Department where he was frontline liaison staff of the Commission with the National Assembly. He also
served as Manager, Media and Public Relations and later, Senior Manager, Media Management until
January 2017 when he was redeployed to the Public Affairs Department (PAD’s) emergent Online Media
and Special Publication Unit, and subsequently designated as the head of the Unit. He also worked at
the Consumer Information and Education Unit of the Commission’s Consumer Affairs Bureau (CAB) until
his redeployment to PAD. He became an Assistant Director in January 2021 and was appointed Head
Media Relations in July 2022.

 Their Fellowship status at the NIPR is seen as a boost to their career.
Established in 1963, The Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), is the professional body of
qualified Public Relations Practitioners. The Law mandates NIPR to regulate the practice and direct the
development of Public Relations as a profession in Nigeria.

 The Nigeria Information Technology Reporters Association (NITRA) is an umbrella body formed in 2013
to harness the thoughts of ICT journalists in Nigeria, and contribute to the development of the industry
and the economy at large. It also has a primary objective of catering to the welfare of its members to
ensure conducive and progressive ICT media industry. The association, which has its registered office in Lagos,
has a Chapter in Abuja.