Co-chairman of National Planning Committee for the hosting of World Public Relations Forum (WPRF) 2026, Mallam Yakubu Lamai, says that the Forum coming up in Abuja will be an opportunity for Nigeria to make a bold push for the inclusion of Responsible Public Communication as the Goal 18th of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
It could be recalled that the umbrella body of public relations organisations in the world, the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management, has been advocating for the inclusion of "Responsible Communication" as a new Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), to be named as 18th SDG.
In an address to the United Nations in Washington, United States July 24, last year, the President of Global Alliance, Prof. Justin Green, argued that the principles of Responsible Communication provide a framework for coordinated international action towards making information spaces safer and more humane.
He highlighted that the move brings to the fore, the crucial role of responsible communication in achieving sustainable development and combating misinformation which, most times, serves as a source of crisis in human societies.
Speaking in the same line while addressing participants at Nigeria's Public Relations Week (NPRW) in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State in May 2025, Mallam Lamai, who is also the Director General of Nasarawa State Government's Strategic Communication & Events Management, said that Nigeria, which houses the largest body of public relations in Africa, will take advantage of the WPRF platform to arouse global consciousness on the necessity to include Responsible Public Communication as the 18th SDG.
"It is unarguable that effective communication is essential for building trust, fostering informed decision-making, and promoting social cohesion, all of which are crucial for sustainable development", Lamai noted.
He further stressed that the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) will leverage on this opportunity to show and prove to the world that Nigeria has the capacity, expertise, vision and organisational ability to deliver an event of WPRF stature in order to inspire the global public relations community.
"Each prestigious edition of WPRF brings unique perspectives and outcomes from the host country which means local cuisine, indigenous artifacts, cultural memory, traditional originality and creative ethnic inflections all fused together to give a wholesome experience that enriches the global public relations community", he stated.