Mkpoikana Udoma
Nkwocha was presented a gold-plated plaque and a certificate, after being announced as the winner of the award among three finalists from other organisations in the country, at the award ceremony held last night at the International Conference Centre, in Abuja.
The Indorama-Nigeria Communications boss also emerged finalist in the Oil and Gas category.
The Award ceremony marked the end of a 3-day National Spokespersons’ Summit organised by the Federal Ministry of Information and the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, NIPR, which was declared open by Vice President Kashim Shetima.
Resource persons from abroad and Nigeria, all of whom were former spokespersons in the public and private sectors shared their practical experiences and perspectives on the art of being a spokesperson, especially in crisis communication, and stakeholder engagement, among others.
President of NIPR, Dr Ike Neliak, said the 17 Awards categories were instituted to encourage Spokespersons in government and corporate organisations to be professional, responsive, ethical and creative in their Spokesperson’s roles and responsibilities to achieve impactful results.
“This healthy competition will produce impactful results,” he said.
Nkwocha’s entry for the Award was how he deployed the tool of stakeholder engagement to eliminate the false narrative that Indorama-Nigeria’s Petrochemicals and Fertiliser operations were emitting soot in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The professional handling of the issue showed all the journalists, radio on-air personalities, academics, professional bodies and concerned NGOs that Indorama’s operations were green and the company was environment-friendly and environmentally sustainable.
Speaking, Nkwocha dedicated the award to his team members and the management of Indorama-Eleme Petrochemicals and Fertiliser Group.