By Patrick Wemambu
Businessman and philanthropist, Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu, has described public relations experts as crisis managers.
“One of the critical roles of a public relations expert is crisis management with well-articulated strategies for mitigating unexpected outcomes that might snowball into threats and consequently affecting survival of the company,” he stated.
Ukachukwu made the remarks last Thursday in an interview with us after his conferment with honorary fellowship award of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) at the Congress Hall of the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja.
Highlighting possible causes of a crisis in an organization, the former member of the Nigerian Senate identified conflict of interests between management and staff, community disenchantment and legal issues, to name a few. He, however, maintained that despite the extent of the nature of issues involved in a company crisis, the PR manager must always be seen to be on duty.
He explained; “After understanding the nature of a crisis in an organization, the PR expert should know how to manage it. Although no single approach to management of crisis is available, the capabilities of the concerned manager go a long way in ensuring that a crisis situation does not get out of hand.”
Asked to comment on how the NIPR honour will impact his work, the Anambra State born politician said; “Our task now is to stand out as ambassadors of the NIPR in each of our endeavors, to build a better image for our country and to set a new model of emulation for our young people, through our story of doggedness, hard work and persistence.”
The induction of Ukachukwu alongside other eminent Nigerians as part of activities marking the Diamond Anniversary of the NIPR was in recognition of his pioneering role in the real estate landscape of Abuja, among other achievements.
