The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, has urged senior public relations practitioners to mentor younger professionals and ensure that their knowledge, values and experience continue to shape the future of the industry.
Idris made the call on Saturday in Kaduna at the maiden Bashir Adamu Chedi Annual Memorial Lecture and Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, Kaduna State Chapter.
“Your experience should not retire with you,” the minister said, stressing that one of the clearest measures of professional success is the number of people an individual helps to become better.
He described the memorial lecture as an enduring platform for mentorship and a fitting tribute to the late Mallam Bashir Adamu Chedi, FNIPR.
According to him, Chedi’s greatest legacy was not the positions he held, but the younger practitioners he encouraged and the professional standards he upheld.
Idris warned that no profession can thrive when each generation is forced to start from scratch.
He called for deliberate efforts to transfer experience, preserve institutional memory and turn past mistakes into lessons for the future.
While acknowledging the energy, creativity and technological awareness of young practitioners, the minister said senior professionals offer experience, sound judgement and wisdom.
He urged both generations to work together, noting that innovation should not be viewed as a threat and experience should not be dismissed as outdated.
With artificial intelligence and social media rapidly transforming communication, Idris also challenged PR practitioners to remain committed to truth, credibility, integrity and responsibility.
He said the life of Bashir Chedi should remind professionals that their most enduring legacy lies not only in personal achievements, but also in the knowledge and values they pass on to others.
