Chain Reactions Africa emerged as winner of the ‘Public Sector PR Campaign of the Year’ for the firm’s Windfall Tax Policy Campaign for the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

The campaign was aimed at first, sensitising the Nigerian public about the Windfall Tax Policy and then, securing the compliance of key stakeholders for the policy.

The same campaign also clinched the ‘Best in Crisis Management’ award, off the back of its use of strategic communication to manage and avert the crisis that would have been precipitated by the enforcement of the Windfall Tax by the FIRS.

The highpoint of the day for the company was the crowning of Mr. Israel Jaiye Opayemi, the managing director and chief strategist, as the ‘Most Influential PR Professional’ for his exceptional professional persona, charismatic industry leadership, enviable profile, and commitment to the growth of the Public Relations industry.

Commenting on the LaPRIGA Awards recognitions, Mr. Opayemi, expressed appreciation for the honours. “Once again, I say a big thank you to the awards organisers, the Lagos State Chapter of NIPR, for raising the bar in organising this award to celebrate hard work and honour the resilience of deserving winners”, he said.

Opayemi charged the winners and all practitioners to drive better storytelling of their organisations and clients. “Let’s be the best. We are Public Relations people, let’s tell the stories of our respective organisations and clients better than ever before”.

He acknowledged the invaluable contributions of his team to Chain Reactions Africa’s unceasing accomplishments, describing them as the real shining stars of these honours. “These award recognitions are emphatically dedicated to all the creative rebels in the Chain Reactions Africa Tribe. You are truly the shining stars spurring these honours, and there wouldn’t be a Chain Reactions Africa without my team. Your unwavering commitment to client satisfaction and sacrifices are matchless; you are the reason we are not just winning, but also breaking more boundaries of excellence”, Opayemi said.

Speaking at the event, the Chairman, Nigeria Institute of Public Relations (NIPR Lagos Chapter), Comfort Obot Nwankwo, congratulated all the winners for their recognition as shining stars and urged them to be an inspiration to others while sustaining the momentum of success, character, and bravery.

“As we honour our shining stars tonight, let us reflect on our collective responsibilities and use our influence to advance inclusivity and sustainability in Public Relations. I challenge each of you to champion youth involvement, prioritise community breeding narratives and uphold highest standards of integrity in all that you do. I congratulate all nominees and winners tonight – may your success serve as an inspiration to others”, she said.

Themed, ‘The Shining Stars’, the 9th edition of LaPRIGA Awards expectedly turned out to be a resplendent and colourful get-together of the who-is-who in the integrated marketing communications industry with stakeholders drawn from the corporate, private, and public sectors.

According to the Chairman of the Selection Committee, Lead Consultant/CEO, Leap Communications, and Publisher of Breezy News, Muyiwa Akintunde, the ceremony had 22 award categories, and 81 entries were submitted in 21 categories, with the ‘Best in Political Communication’ not having any submission for this year’s edition. Others are ‘Special Honorary Awards’ and ‘Lifetime Achievements Award for select public relations industry veterans.

With three awards, Chain Reactions Africa has once again shown its unparalleled dominance in the marketing communications industry. Earlier in 2024, the company reached an unprecedented height by winning seven awards at the 2024 SABRE Awards. It also emerged winner of the Edge Awards 2024 most coveted prize, ‘Outstanding PR Agency of the Year’, with its MD/ Chief Strategist, Opayemi, carting away the ‘Edge Grand Prix in PR’, Edge Awards’ most enviable and highest individual awards category.

The company, with offices in both Lagos and Abuja, won four deserving honours at the 2024 Brandcom Awards, including the ‘Most Outstanding PR Agency of the Year’; ‘Most Outstanding Agency in Political and Public Sector PR’, and ‘Strategic Communication Consultancy of the Year’. Its MD/ Chief Strategist also won the ‘CEO of the Year (Public Relations) category for his sound leadership qualities and desirable profile.

LaPRIGA is a high-profile award that recognises excellence and celebrates practitioners in public and corporate organisations as well as stakeholders to boost professionalism and more investment in the practice of public relations.

The 8th Edition of the LaPRIGA Awards tagged, ‘The Game Changers’ organised by the Lagos State Chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), had its podium of lights and colours welcoming the distinguished delegation of Chain Reactions Africa five times to receive five deserving awards at a colourful ceremony held on Thursday, 21st December 2023, at the MUSON Centre in Onikan, Lagos.

Chain Reactions Africa emerged as winner of the ‘PR Agency of the Year’ for the firm’s admirable professionalism, management of key accounts, employing global best practices and processes for a bouquet of communications campaigns, and most importantly, delivering some of the most exciting PR-led campaigns in the year under review.

The firm also scooped the ‘Best in Risk and Crisis Management’ category for effective use of Public Relations to manage crisis at the highest levels of the corporate sphere and public governance; just as its mastery of framing political campaigns where it came tops as ‘Best in Political Communication’ category for skillfully engineering consent and influencing political choices on behalf of clients which included the “Greater Lagos Rising Re-election Campaign” for Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State in the last governorship elections.

Chain Reactions Africa further showed versatility and class by clinching the ‘Public Sector PR Campaign of the Year’ for the firm’s outstanding campaign to promote the launch of the Lagos Blue Line for the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA).

The highlight of the LaPRIGA awards night was the crowning of the Managing Director/Chief Strategist of Chain Reactions Africa, Israel ‘Jaiye Opayemi, who doubles as the President of the Public Relations Consultants Association of Nigeria (PRCAN), as the ‘PR Practitioner of the Year’ for his enviable leadership of a dynamic organization with impeccable profile and quality.

Over the years, Opayemi has consistently pushed the limits of what is possible in the industry through grit, passion, professionalism, and a consistent industry clarion call to practitioners to consistently raise the bar of excellence in public relations practice to gain the respect of clients.

The ceremony had twenty award categories with Chain Reactions Africa unilaterally leading this year’s collection with five. Others are ‘Special Honorary Awards’ and ‘Lifetime Achievements Award’ bestowed on individuals and institutions who have distinguished themselves through their contributions and support to the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations.

Commenting on the LaPRIGA Awards recognitions, ‘Jaiye Opayemi, the MD/Chief Strategist of Chain Reactions Africa, Israel noted the importance of these honours to the firm as a brand, on the industry, and the nation.

“The award recognitions are evidence of our hard work, commitment and discipline to the Public Relations and Integrated Marketing profession where do a brave brand of consulting.

“The greatest honour any professional can receive is the honour bestowed by your own peers. It is a true reflection of where and how you stand in the fierce game.

“As a consulting firm, Chain Reactions Africa is sincerely grateful to the leaders and members of Lagos State Chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), the LaPRIGA Awards Committee and all stakeholders in the Public Relations and Integrated Marketing Communications space who recognize the brave works we are doing for our clients. To all winners, I congratulate you, and to all nominees, being nominated is evidence of the fact that the great works you are doing got onto the measuring scale in the first place. I celebrate you and I am proud to be in your community”, Mr. Opayemi said.

“Being audaciously strategic is at the heart of all we do. It is etched in our DNA. We love those clients who allow us the space to do extraordinary works and give expressions to our brave thinking to be different in managing their brands. These awards are for you.

“To my amazing tribe of creative rebels at Chain Reactions Africa, these awards are the gratifications your souls need for all your hard work and sleepless nights. These awards are however the reminders that we need to be relentless and do more”, Opayemi added.

The LaPRIGA is a prestigious high-profile award that recognises excellence and celebrates practitioners in public relations practice in Nigeria.

LaPRIGA has evolved into what public relations practitioners fondly refer to as ‘the Oscars of the Public Relations Industry in Nigeria’, adding new colours, dimensions and values by recognising best accomplishments in public relations and reputation management in Nigeria.

With these awards, Chain Reactions Africa has demonstrated admirable industry dominance. Earlier in the year, in far away Lusaka, Zambia, Chain Reactions also scooped the SABRE Africa Award’s ‘Corporate Image Certificate of Excellence’ recognition for its ‘Momentum Campaign’, a campaign executed for Cellulant, a flagship payment solution company in multiple markets across Africa.

Same recognition was earned by Chain Reactions Africa for its contributions to the ‘The NaijaHighlandah Challenge #TNH’ by William Lawson’s, a Scotch Whiskey brand, in the ‘Marketing to Consumers’ session.

Chain Reactions Africa also earned Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State the ‘CEO of the Year’ in the SABRE Africa Diamond Category for his use of the tools of public relations in his 2023 re-election campaign.

This category is for Corporate or Political CEOs who allow the use of public relations in communicating their works.

In September 2023, Chain Reactions Africa also emerged as the Outstanding PR Agency of the Year and its MD/Chief Strategist, Israel Jaiye Opayemi won the Outstanding Leadership Award in Public Relations at the 2023 edition of the prestigious Marketing Edge Brands and Advertising Excellence Awards held in Lagos.

Recently, the firm again won BrandCom’s ‘Award for ‘Most Outstanding Agency in Political and Public Sector PR’ while its MD/ CEO won the award for the ‘Most Outstanding CEO of Year – Public Relations’.