*Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, Executive Vice-Chairman/CEO of the Nigerian Communications Commission, says conferment of the Fellowship status on the two worthy NCC Management Staff further rekindles the existing healthy collaboration聽 between the Commission and NIPR, especially in areas of capacity-building and commitment to appropriate national social orientation

Gbenga Kayode | 绿帽献妻

Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, FNSE, FAEng, FNIEEE, FRAES, Executive Vice-Chairman/Chief Executive Officer (EVC/CEO) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has applauded and described the conferment of Fellowship of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, (fnipr) on two Management Staff of the Commission, as meritorious and a testimony to the Commission鈥檚 promotion of professionalism and excellence in its scheme of management.

绿帽献妻 reports the telecoms sector regulatory Commission noted the EVC/CEO鈥檚 assertion followed the recent investiture and induction of Mr. Reuben Muoka, Director of Public Affairs, and Dr. Omoniyi Ibietan, Head of Media Relations in the Public Affairs Department of NCC, as Fellows of the Chartered Institute during its Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Conference at the International Conference Centre, in Abuja, FCT.

Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, Executive Vice-Chairman/CEO of NCC

Danbatta, in a statement issued Thursday, September 8, 2022, in Abuja, FCT, to congratulate the duo, said the NCC is proud to have produced these two individuals, who have been considered worthy of elevation to the Fellowship cadre of the prestigious institution like the NIPR.

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The NCC Chief stated Muoka and Ibietan’s emergence resonates with two of the Commission鈥檚 core values of Excellence and Professionalism, which the telecoms regulator, “coincidentally, shares with the NIPR.”

The statement said Danbatta, a Professor of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, with several Fellowships, including Nigerian Society of Engineers, Nigerian Academy of Engineering, Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, and Renewable and Alternative Energy Society of Nigeria, also expressed delight at the level of performance of the Commission鈥檚 staff in their different areas of professional calling.

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He commended the NIPR as a body for its commitment to the regulation of the practice of public relations in Nigeria for which it has found an ally in the NCC.

The NCC Chief Executive further stated: “This can only rekindle the healthy collaboration and partnership existing between the NCC and NIPR, especially in the area of capacity-building and commitment to appropriate national social orientation.”

Muoka and Ibietan at a glance

Reuben Muoka, Director of Public Affairs Department at NCC, holds M.Sc. in Mass Communication from the University of Lagos (UNILAG) with specialisation in Public Relations and Advertising, after a Postgraduate Diploma in the same field from the same University.

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He had earlier obtained a Bachelor鈥檚 Degree in Performing Arts from the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), in Kwara State.

Besides being a Fellow of NIPR, the Muoka is also an Associate of the Registered Practitioners of Advertising (arpa).

He had worked for several years as Communications Editor at Vanguard Newspapers during which he also chaired the League of Communications Correspondents, one of the platforms that championed the deregulation of the telecom industry in Nigeria.

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He was also in the employ of MTS First Wireless, Nigeria鈥檚 first mobile network operator, where he rose from the ranks to become the 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. Omoniyi Ibietan earned a Ph.D in Communication from North-West University, in South Africa.

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Ibietan had earlier obtained MA in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan (UI), a BA in Communication Arts from the University of Uyo (UNIUYO), and a Journalism Diploma from the Moscow-based International Institute of Journalism, Abuja Campus.

A noted advocate of freedom and democracy, Ibietan was Freedom House Nigeria Project鈥檚 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 the New Media for public communication in Nigeria.

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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 the frontline liaison staff of the Commission with the National Assembly (NASS).

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Much later after the merging of the LGR Department with the Public Affairs Department in 2010, he served as Manager, Media and Public Relations, under Muoka鈥檚 supervision and became Senior Manager, Media Management, until January 2017 when he was redeployed to PAD鈥檚 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鈥檚 Consumer Affairs Bureau (CAB) until his redeployment to PAD. Ibietan later became an Assistant Director January 2021, and was appointed Head of Media Relations of NCC July 2022.

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