The Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria, Mallam Jibrin Baba Ndace, has declared that trust remains the decisive force upon which nations rise or fall.
Speaking at the Reputation Roundtable 2.0 organised by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) Abuja Chapter, with the theme “The New Architecture of Corporate Integrity: Navigating Power, Perception and Purpose,” Ndace described the theme as “both timely and urgent.”
Urging spokespersons and reputation managers to embrace transparency, He said;
“We live in an era where perception travels faster than policy, and where narratives shape markets, influence governance, and define institutions within minutes. In this communication ecosystem, reputation is no longer a soft asset. It is a strategic capital. It determines trust, influences legitimacy, and anchors sustainability,” he said.
“What actually brings nations is trust. And how do you build trust? It’s how you create positive narratives. If something happens… You should not shy away from it. You shouldn’t hide it. If you hide it, people will know,” he added.
Addressing the mandate of Voice of Nigeria, Ndace underscored the power of strategic communication in nation-building.
“Nations are defined not only by economic or military strength, but by the credibility of their voice and the integrity of their institution,” he said.
He reaffirmed VON’s commitment to shaping positive narratives about Nigeria and Africa in multiple languages, with plans for expansion in response to evolving geopolitics.
Acting President of NIPR, Professor Emmanuel Dandaura, in his address, described reputation as engineered rather than inherited. “Reputation is not inherited. It is engineered through consistent integrity,” he said.
He added, “Reputation is no longer a communication outcome. It is a governance outcome.”
Dandaura outlined three pillars for the new integrity architecture: power matched with accountability, perception grounded in authenticity, and purpose translated into measurable performance.
“When perception is aligned with authentic purpose, when power operates within accountable frameworks, the outcome is more than trust. It is credibility,” he posited.
Earlier, setting the tone for the gathering, Chairman of the NIPR Abuja Chapter, Stanley Ogadigo, said the roundtable was deliberately curated for directors of public relations and reputation managers.
“This is a specialised training, but a very high-profile event to train and retrain the reputation managers. We are not going for crowds, but we are going for a critical audience in the business of reputation building and management,” he noted.
Chairman of the occasion, Hajiya Lami Tumaka, reinforced the ethical imperative. “It is about creating a culture where ethics and integrity are woven into every decision and action,” she said.
She added, “If each of us at our various levels, at our various spaces, do the right thing, and we have a critical mass of people doing the right thing, you will see that it will reflect positively on the country, Nigeria. To navigate power, perception, and purpose effectively, organisations must prioritise integrity and ethics in their culture and decision processes.”
The roundtable interrogated what participants described as a defining national imperative: rebuilding credibility in an era where perception travels faster than policy, narratives shape markets, and reputation has become strategic capital.
Speakers were unanimous in calling for integrity, trust, ethical leadership, accountability and measurable governance outcomes, stressing that Nigeria’s economic and global standing are inseparable from the integrity architecture of its institutions.
Collectively, the message was clear: Nigeria’s future rests on disciplined ethics, transparent governance and intentional narrative-building anchored in truth.