The federal government says the forthcoming World Public Relations Forum Abuja 2026 will present an opportunity to counter false narratives about Nigeria and highlight its progress.

Mohammed minister Idris stated this at the WPRF Abuja 2026 National unveiling ceremony in Abuja.

According to Mr Idris, as host of the WPRF 2026, Nigeria is assuming a leadership role on the global stage of professional communication.

“We are a country of over 200 million voices, diverse, dynamic, and deeply expressive. Our democracy thrives on dialogue, and under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, a leadership role on the global stage of professional communication, where the country is indeed a centre of humanity.

“Through the National Orientation Policy of my ministry, the open government communication framework, and the strengthening of government information institutions, we are promoting the culture of truthful governance narratives and citizen inclusion.

“The forthcoming WPRF 2026 in Abuja is more than a global conference. It is an opportunity to present Nigeria as a model of transformation through communication. Under President Tinubu ‘s administration,  the World is seeing a Nigeria that is reforming,  rebranding, and re-emerging, driven by innovation,  private sector growth, and renewed international confidence,” Mr Idris said.

The minister charged all communicators, journalists, and public officers to rise to the challenge of responsible communication.

“Let this unveiling today be a call to conscience. To practitioners, hold the line of truth. To the media, inform with integrity. To public officers, communicate with transparency. To citizens, speak with empathy,” he said.

He further expressed optimism that WPRF Abuja 2026 would be remembered as a milestone in reshaping Nigeria’s global image.

“Under Tinubu, Nigeria is reshaping its global image. Let this forum be remembered as the moment when Africa’s largest democracy led the world in defining what it means to communicate with conscience,” Mr Idris said.

Meanwhile, the president of the NIPR, Ike Neliaku, explained that the WPRF Abuja 2026 was like a FIFA Football World Cup.

“We are going to receive people from over 126 countries coming to Nigeria, to discuss responsible communication. The beauty of this is that, apart from the fact that this is the first time Nigeria is hosting this, this is a way of projecting Nigeria to the international community.

“We have to show them the authentic Nigeria, not the misinformation and fake news they are reading about Nigeria. And also, for the first time, the African Public Relations Association also gave us the mandate to host their 2026 conference. We are very grateful. So we will have back-to-back: hosting Africa and the world,” Mr Neliaku said.

(NAN)