Copyright businessday
In the contemporary era, the crucial roles of effective communication and public relations in Africa’s most populous country has become increasingly obvious. Nigeria has one of the largest youth populations in the world, with estimates suggesting that about 70 percent of the population is under 30 years old and the median age is around 18.1 years. In a bid to prepare these young minds for the demands of today’s competitive public relations professional landscape, NECCI Roundtable has unveiled Pulse Essay Prize Competition. According to the convener/founder of NECCI RoundTable Discussions, Nkechi Ali-Balogun, the initiative is designed to equip students with vital skills in communication, analysis, and professionalism. She emphasised that the initiative aims to cultivate knowledgeable and skilled public relations professionals who will make significant impact in the industry. “We envision this prize evolving into a prestigious annual award that recognises and nurtures outstanding talents in public relations. “Over time, the PR Pulse Award will expand to encompass all areas and categories within the field, ultimately establishing itself as a distinguished honour comparable to the Pulitzer Prize,” she said. This could be said to be in tandem with the views of Eleanor Rooservelt, one time first-lady of the United States, who once said, “The purpose of education must be at the heart of education and education systems. And that’s the only way education can go beyond literacy, important as that is, to develop and transform societies.” With competition such as the pulse essay prize, the education sector would serve as a critical provider of human capital, equipping individuals with the requisite skills and enhancing their intellectual acumen to make meaningful contributions to their communities and nation. Experts argue that good education works to develop not only the learner’s understanding of established knowledge but also sharpens the learner’s mind and enhances their capacity for thinking, creativity, and innovation so they can become active creators of new knowledge. Obviously, that is what the NECCI essay competition is designed to achieve in Nigeria’s communication space, especially amongst students in tertiary institutions across the country. In a chat with BusinessDay, Ali-Balogun revealed that there are plans to increase the prize money to boost students’ interests. However, she emphasised that beyond the prize money there is also plans to absorb young and excellent talents from the competition. As one of the largest and most vibrant youth populations in the world, Nigeria’s youth group is a key demographic that deserves thorough attention and understanding. Experts believe that effective communication strategies help bridge the gap between the youth and diverse stakeholders, fostering mutual understanding, trust, and collaboration. This demographic dominance in Nigeria, presents a significant opportunity for economic growth, hence, the need to catch and nurture them young for maximum economic and social benefits. Educating the Nigerian youngsters should not be left in the hands of the government alone, a good thing NECCI RoundTable is leading by example, because education is crucial to developing human capacity. Education, however, does not only develop people intellectually; it also plays a vital role in the development of the social dimensions of the person and the citizenry. Well-educated individuals are not only confident to lead fulfilling personal lives but also actively engage in problem-solving within their societal contexts, thereby elevating overall societal welfare and fostering social cohesion. They are not equipped only with intellectual capacity for thinking and knowing, but also with a deepening sense of character, community and citizenry. Education plays an active role in the socioeconomic development of a nation by actively contributing to educating her people about necessary character, roles, and obligations of citizenship. Besides, education fosters social cohesion and the development of a collective identity necessary for a visionary future. A 400-level student in the Department of Mass Communication at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Daniel Nnam, emerged as the winner of the maiden NECCI essay contest, winning a cash prize of N250,000. Nnam was announced as the winner of the essay competition, during the 25th edition of the NECCI PR roundtable held on October 23, 2025, at Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos. He won the contest, defeating 24 other contestants across five higher institutions in Nigeria.
