How I Transited from Journalism to Public Relations – IMPR Board Chair

How I Transited from Journalism to Public Relations – IMPR Board Chair

By Kabir Akintayo

The Chairman of the Board of Directors of Image Merchants Promotion Limited (IMPR), publishers of PRNigeria and Economic Confidential; Dr. Sule Ya’u Sule, has revealed how he transited from being a journalist to a public relations expert.

Dr. Ya’u Sule spoke yesterday at the PRNigeria Kano Centre during an end-of-the-year retreat for IMPR staff.

According to him, for someone to succeed in the PR profession, you must be embedded in journalism.

“You need journalism experience because if you look at the work we do, almost 60% is media based,” he said.

Sule, who is the spokesperson to the former Kano state governor, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, also narrated how his journalism career was launched.

He said that an article he wrote in 1996 landed him his first job as a media adviser to the then Kano state military administrator, Colonel Dominic Oneya.

“I had a column in Triumph newspaper and that column usually comes out every Wednesday and it happens that the newly-appointed military administrator of Kano state, Col. Dominic Oneya came across my column titled, ‘Kano welcoming Oneya, here is our problem’.

“I articulated virtually all the problems in Kano’s health, waters and education sectors. I told him that if he can tackle 50% of the problems, he will be a hero in Kano.

“So, Col. Oneya read it on his way to resume work in Kano, and after a week there was a call to my MD, asking for me. When we got to the Government House, Col. Oneya picked up our newspaper and asked if I wrote the article, of which I responded yes. He expressed shock over my ability to write the article seeing me so young.

“Instantly, he directed them to issue me an appointment letter, saying that we should solve the problem together. So, that was the beginning of my public relations practice in 1996. And that was the beginning of my working in government house,” he added.