Nigeria protocol professionals demand order, discipline in service delivery

Nigeria’s certified protocol practitioners are pushing for a more rigorous approach to service delivery, arguing that disciplined, well-executed protocol is not ceremonial window dressing but a critical pillar of national development.

The Association of Certified Protocol Practitioners in Nigeria convened its 2026 congress in Lagos on Saturday, drawing senior diplomats, public administrators and corporate leaders who made the case that institutional order, enforced through strong protocol systems, is essential to Nigeria’s ambitions across government, diplomacy and business.

“Protocol cuts across public administration and corporate environments, enhancing credibility, trust and sustainable partnerships,” Michael Ikinbor, ACPPN President told delegates. “This requires not only technical competence, but also a sustained commitment to excellence, integrity and continuous learning.”

Ikinbor framed the gathering as more than a professional milestone. The congress, he said, was focused on advancing excellence in public administration, corporate institutions, diplomacy and technology, with protocol practice serving as the connective tissue.

Diplomatic stakes

The meeting drew pointed remarks from Ike Nwachukwu (rtd.), former foreign affairs minister gen who warned that the consequences of protocol failures extend well beyond embarrassment.
Represented at the congress by Tunde Sodipo, a former chief of protocol to the President, Nwachukwu argued that diplomatic negotiations hang on the precision of protocol systems.

“A seating error or breach of precedence can derail months of delicate negotiations,” he said.

He described protocol officers as “shock absorbers” whose role is to prevent friction between sovereign interests and institutional powers, a function, he argued, that carries direct economic consequences.

“Investors do not just look at our laws; they look at our systems,” Nwachukwu said. “A well-executed summit signals that Nigeria is a sophisticated and organised partner.”

His remarks reflect a growing argument among governance professionals in Africa’s largest economy: that the quality of institutional process sends signals to the international investment community that no policy document alone can replicate.

Nwachukwu also urged practitioners to adapt to emerging technology without sacrificing core professional values.

“Whether using AI for guest lists or encryption, the core must remain incorruptible professionalism,” he said.

Leadership must follow its own rules

Mavi Isibor, founder of finishing and etiquette institution Poise Nigeria, directed her remarks squarely at those in positions of power, arguing that protocol systems are only as strong as the willingness of leaders to submit to them.

“Power must follow structures, respect speaking order and relinquish unnecessary privileges,” she said.

Her warning was blunt: the moment leaders begin to bypass established procedures, the entire framework loses its authority.

“The moment a leader ignores process, everyone learns protocol is optional,” Isibor said.

Her comments resonated with a recurring theme among the congressmen: that Nigeria’s institutional weaknesses are not always structural but behavioural, driven by influential actors who treat rules as applying to everyone but themselves.

Courage in the face of authority

Safiu Olaniyan, former diplomat, reinforced that point, arguing that effective protocol practice requires more than procedural knowledge, it demands professional courage.

“You need to look at power and tell the truth respectfully for protocol to function effectively,” he said, adding that clarity, consistency and accountability remain the non-negotiable pillars of the discipline.

Steve Onwuka, chief protocol officer at the Economic Community of West African States, offered perhaps the most expansive framing of protocol’s role, describing it as infrastructure rather than ceremony.

“When protocol works, meetings produce decisions, visits produce investments and ceremonies produce pride,” Onwuka said.

His reference to ECOWAS underscored the regional dimension of the issue. As Nigeria positions itself as the anchor of West African economic and political integration, the competence of its protocol architecture carries weight beyond its own borders.

Growing the Profession

The congress inducted 65 new members into the association, a signal of growing professional interest in a field that has historically operated in the background of public life.
For ACPPN, the message of the 2026 gathering was unambiguous: Nigeria cannot build the institutions it needs without the order that protocol, properly practiced, provides.