Address  Delivered by the President of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR)  at the Second Edition of the Social Enterprise Report and Awards (SERA) 2008 

Your Excellencies, the Executive Governors of Lagos State (our host state),  Akwa Ibom State and Kano State; the Minster of Transport;  the Chairperson, Federal Inland Revenue Service; Director-General, Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON); Managing Directors and heads of Corporations;  distinguished ladies and gentlemen; on  behalf of the Nigerian Institute of  Public Relations (NIPR) and our partner organizations, TruContact Communications, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS),  the Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) and the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), I welcome you to this August occasion which  as God will have it, is actually taking place in the month of August 2008 in the beautiful city of Lagos.

It gladdens my heart to see such a large turnout of really important personalities and to know that you were all able to make it here, in spite of the numerous  hurdles due to the ongoing construction work in different sections of the Lagos metropolis; and the temporary closure of the Third Mainland Bridge. This goes to show that change, development and progress usually comes in a package that includes some level of pain, discomfort and tears. As they say “No Pain, no Gain.

I know that you all strove to make it here because of your interest and the stake that you have in our glorious country Nigeria. In the spirit of the  annual Social Enterprise Report  and Award (SERA), we are all gathered  here to recognize and reward  the organizations and individuals who through various strategies have contributed to social and economic development of Nigeria. I salute this year’s winners  in the different categories. I also hope that as we watch the colorful events unfold tonight, that others will be encouraged  to do much more  and to contribute not only to the achievement of the eight Millennium Development Goals but will go far beyond this.

I am aware of the amount of  financial and other resources, time and effort  that goes into organizing a project like SERA and I will like to appeal for more support for this project so that we can scale it up and also achieve more impact.  Nigeria has the one of the largest populations on the continent. One in every four black Africans is a Nigerian. With 70 percent of this population still living below the poverty line of one dollar  (about N120)  a day, we can begin to fathom the extent of the development problems we are facing and the depth of need. We need to support  projects like SERA that promote social development while also supporting the entertainment sector and other sectors of life .

NIPR is solidly behind SERA because we understand stakeholder relations and we know that businesses that will grow and stand the test of time in this global  and competitive era are those who constantly feel the pulse of their stakeholders and strive to meet their needs. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a potent tool for reaching out to stakeholders, especially within our socio-economic and political context.

Once again, I welcome you to SERA 2008. I can already feel the excitement in the air. The evening  promises to be both educative and  fun-packed - this event was packaged by a public relations firm and they are experts at engaging their audiences.  So, do relax, feel at home, enjoy the evening and God bless you.