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PROFILE OF KARIBI TAMUNOEMI GEORGE, Esq., FNIPR, rpa, CT, AICMC

Karibi Tamunoemi George is a teacher, lawyer, mediator, public relations and advertising professional who is passionate about communications solutions that dignify humanity. Born on 31st October, 1963 in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, he is the first of the six children of Rev Clifford Talbot Tokin George (late), and Mrs. Victoria Morolayo George (nee Omolaja). His late father was a Clergyman with extensive ecumenical networks, educationist and community mediator, while his mother, a child evangelism specialist retired as a Director of Nursing Services from the Rivers State Health Management Board, Nigeria.

Karibi attended State School, Churchill Road, Port Harcourt, Nigeria from 1969 to 1974 before proceeding to the prestigious Baptist High School, Port Harcourt. He graduated in 1979 with Division One in the West African School Certificate (WASCE) examination. Karibi learned to play Lawn Tennis at Baptist High School in 1978, and improved sufficiently to represent Rivers State at the 1979 National Sports Festival in Ibadan (Oluyole ’79). He earned admission into the University of Jos, Jos Nigeria where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts in English with Second Class Honours in 1983. As a student at the University of Jos, he was an active member of the English Literary Circle, the Association of Rivers State Students (which later became National Union of Rivers State Students, NURSS), and was also the university’s number one Lawn Tennis player.

Karibi undertook the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme in Plateau State and taught English at Baptist High School, Jos, for his primary assignment. He later enrolled for and obtained the Master of Arts (MA) in Oral Literature from the University of Jos in January, 1988. His dissertation was on the poetics of “Kalabari Funeral Songs”.

Karibi George started his working career as a Graduate Assistant at the Rivers State College of Education, RSCOE (now Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, IAUOE) in 1984 and rose to the rank of Lecturer 2 in 1991. At the RSCOE, Karibi served as College Orator and Secretary of the Journal of Pedagogy and Development, the official academic publication of the College. As Orator, he moderated many ceremonies of the College and performed the citations of both Obi Wali and Ken Saro-Wiwa, (both late) who were at different times, Convocation Lecture speakers. He was appointed Features Editor of the Nigerian Tide in 1991. However, he elected to leave that post for personal reasons. In 1992, he joined the defunct Sunray Publications Limited as Senior Sub-Editor in the Books Division. While at Sunray, he developed critical skills in assessing and creatively reviewing manuscripts and books, a skill which has served him well as a sought-after book reviewer during public presentations of books. In 1994, the Caretaker Committee Chairman of Asari-Toru Local Government late Major Temple Amachree (fss, psc) appointed him Press Secretary, a task he performed with Public Relations panache, covering media relations, protocol, and speech writing, among others. Most significantly, Karibi developed a definitive “Asari-Toru Corporate Profile”.

In 1997, Karibi George joined the Rivers State Primary Education Board, RSPEB (now Rivers State Universal Basic Education Board, RSUBEB) as Chief Personnel Officer, and retired as Director and Head of Administration and Supplies and Public Relations Services on 31st October, 2023.

He is currently engaged as a Consultant/Coach in Mediation, Advertising, and Public Relations. He practices Law in the firm of Dumo Barango & Co in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

During the period of his career, Karibi has striven to improve his knowledge and skills through study and enrolment in academic and professional institutions and bodies. In 1994 he enrolled as a Graduate Member of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR). He registered as a student of the Institute and obtained the Professional Diploma of the NIPR in 1998. He also enrolled as a student of the (then) Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) and obtained the Professional Diploma of the APCON in 2007. Karibi attended the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, RSUST (now Rivers State University, RSU) between 2000 and 2005, where he earned the Bachelor of Laws (LLB), and followed it up with attendance at the Nigerian Law School (Augustine Nnamani Campus, Enugu) between 2006 and 2007, earning the Barrister-at-Law, Second Class Honours Upper Division. Upon that success he was called to the Nigerian Bar on 8th May 2007. Subsequently, he also enrolled for a Post-Graduate Diploma in Education at the Port Harcourt Study Center of the National Teachers’ Institute (NTI), earning the PGDE of the National Open University of Nigeria in 2015.

Karibi was elected Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (FNIPR) in 2012, following his presentation on “Government Relations through Radio Programming: The Case of Radio Rivers ‘Tuesday Morning Live’”. He is a member of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), where he served the Degema Branch remarkably as Chairman of Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Committee between 2019 and 2022. He has been a Full Member of the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria, now Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria, ARCON (rpa) since 2016; a Certified Teacher (CT) by the Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) since 2017 and an Associate Member of the Institute of Chartered Mediators and Conciliators (ICMC), Nigeria since 2019.

Mr. George has given honorary service to community, church and profession. He has served the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations as Public Relations Officer, Rivers State Chapter, 1999-2001 (during that time he initiated a professional journal, In-Touch in 2000); Chairman, Rivers State Chapter (2008-2013); elected member of the Governing Council (2014-2018); Chairman, Chapter Relations Committee (2018-2023); Secretary, Fellowship Advisory Committee, FAC (2018-2023); Chairman, Professional Development Committee, PDC, Rivers State Chapter (2021-date). He is currently Chairman of the Legal Advisory Committee (LAC) of the NIPR.

Karibi was National President of Baptist High School, Port Harcourt Old Students Association (BHSPHOSA) from 2018 to 2022; Member, Baptist High School, Port Harcourt Local School Management Board (2021-date); District Rotaract Representative, DRR of Rotary International District 9140 (1992-1993); Pronouncer, Rotary Club of Trans-Amadi Spelling Bee Competition for Secondary Schools (since 2011); President of Owame Kobiri of Kalabari (2008-2012); Social Secretary, Port Harcourt Club (1999-2001); Captain, Tennis Section, Port Harcourt Club (2010-2011); and Public Relations Officer, Nigeria Football Supporters’ Club (2004-2010).

He has also had the distinction of serving the Rivers State Government in various capacities. Some of them include: “Public Enlightenment Advisor” to the Chief Judge (August 2015-January 2016); Chairman, Publicity Sub-Committee, Port Harcourt International Oil and Gas Summit (2010); Secretary, Rivers State Commercial Negotiation Committee (CNC) for Gas Infrastructure Development (2009-2011); Member, Rivers State Branding Committee (2009); Member, Rivers State Information Summit Committee (2010); and Member, Rivers State Lawn Tennis Association (2005-2015).

Karibi is a Christian of the Baptist denomination. He has served the Church as President of the Rev George’s Royal Ambassadors Chapter, First Baptist Church, Port Harcourt Nigeria; President of the Men’s Missionary Union, MMU of First Baptist Church, Port Harcourt, Nigeria (2011-2017); Vice Chairman, MMU, Rivers Baptist Conference (2018-date); Chairman, MMU, Rivers Baptist Conference (2024-date); Sunday School Teacher (since 2007); and Member, Commission on Human Rights, Peace Building and Reconciliation of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) (since 2020).

Karibi George has written three books and edited a fourth: The Master of Ceremonies Handbook (2000); Write on, Civil Servant (2022); Tales from School of Laws (2022); and (ed) 100 Years of Worship and Ministry: The Story of First Baptist Church, Port Harcourt, 1922-2022. Some of his other publications in books and journals include:

  1. “Stratagem: Administrative Methods and Structuralization in Rivers State Basic Education Sub Sector”, Chapter 3 in Dr Fyneface Ndubuisi Akah (ed) Educere: Strides in Rivers State Basic Education Service Delivery (2016-2024), Port Harcourt: Rivers State UBE Board, pp. 47-66.
  2. “Nigeria: Social Re-engineering for National Unity, Peace and Progress” in Public Relations Journal Vol 18, Nos 1 & 2, 2022, pp.72-82.
  3. “Public Relations and Social Influence: Reviving the Lather of Influence” in Public Relations Journal Vol. 18, Nos 1 & 2, 2022, pp. 59-71.
  4. “Who is Barinua Moses Wifa, OFR, SAN, DSSRS, KJW?” (with Chief Edward Bristol-Alagbariya) in Worika, Ibibia Lucky and Popnen, Sylvester S (eds.) The Challenge of Justice: Contemporary Legal Essays in Honour of B. M. Wifa, OFR, SAN, DSSRS, KJW Lagos: Princeton and Associates Publishing Co. Ltd, 2017, pp.1-27.
  5. Review of Walking The Tight Rope: Community Relations in Practice written by Frank Tamuno-Koko in Public Relations Journal Vol 1 & 2, No.13, 2017, pp. 215-220.
  6. “Tasking Public Relations in the Crisis of Political Engagement in Nigeria” Public Relations Journal Vol. 10, Nos 1 & 2, 2014, pp.112-128.
  7. “Law and Educational Administration”, Chapter 26 in Prof Okorie, Ngozi C et al (eds.) Teachers, Schools and Society, Port Harcourt: Pearl Publishers, 2014, pp. 391-407
  8.  “Government Relations through Radio Programming: The Case of Radio Rivers’ ‘Tuesday Morning Live’, Public Relations Journal Vol. 9, No 2, 2013 pp.147- 160
  9.  “Public Relations in Government Service” in The Rivers Bureaucrat Vol. 4, No.1, June 2013
  10. “Public Relations and Calendar Production”, pp. 8 – 9 and “Towards Professionalism in NIPR Publications”, pp. 20 – 24,     IN TOUCH, No.1, 2000
  11. “Rethinking Partnership Responsibilities” pp. 20 – 23 and “Structures and Strategies in Managing the Rotaract District”     pp. 32 – 36 in Managing Non-Profit Organizations: The Case of Rotaract”, Buguma: Hanging Gardens Publishers, 1993
  12. “Apartheid and Christianity in Oswald Mtshali’s Sounds of a Cowhide Drum”, NEOHELICON, XXIX/1, pp. 283 – 295
  13. “Myth and History in Ken Saro-Wiwa’s Basi and Company: A Modern African Folktale”, Chapter 10 in Chidi Ikonne et al (eds.), African Literature and African Historical Experiences, Ibadan: Heinemann, 1991, pp. 107 – 115
  14. “Towards True Sensitivity in the Collection and Exposition of Original Texts of Oral Literature”, Journal of Pedagogy and Development (JOPED), Vol.1, No.1, January, 1989, pp. 120 – 127

In addition to many newspaper publications and radio commentaries on various subjects, Karibi has written and presented other articles, lectures and dissertations. Some of them are:

  1. “Family Finances and Developing Mutual Respect in Marriage”, a Panel Presentation at the 2024 “Strengthening Families Conference” organized by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints held from June 21 to June 22, 2024 at the Abidjan Exhibition Centre, Cote d’Ivoire.
  2. “Safeguarding the Rights of Children in a Digital World”. A keynote speech presented at FIDA Rivers Children’s Day Celebration 2024 organized by the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) Nigeria, Rivers State Branch on Tuesday May 28, 2024 at the NBA Port Harcourt Branch House, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
  3.  “Nigeria: Social Re-engineering for National Unity, Peace and Progress” 59th Independence Anniversary Lecture of Indorama – Nigeria, Monday September 30, 2019.
  4. “Public Relations and Social Influence: Reviving the Lather of Influence” Keynote Lecture at the 2018 Conference and Annual General Meeting of the Rivers State Chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) on June 7, 2018 at The Atrium, Stadium Road, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
  5. “Impact of the Mass Media on the Socialization of Secondary School Students in Port Harcourt Local Government Area of Rivers State”. An unpublished project presented to the National Teachers’ Institute (NTI), Kaduna for the award of the Post-Graduate Diploma in Education of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), November, 2015.
  6. “Towards a Delineation of Regulatory Roles for the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria and the Consumer Protection Council of Nigeria”. An unpublished project presented to the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria for the award of the Professional Diploma in Advertising, September, 2007.
  7. “A Legal Appraisal of Advertising Regulation in Nigeria”. An unpublished L.L.B Thesis presented to the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Nkpolu Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt, July, 2005.
  8. “Kalabari Funeral Songs”. An unpublished M.A (Oral Literature) Thesis presented to the University of Jos, Jos, July, 1987.
  9. “Social Satire in Wole Soyinka’s Opera Wonyosi and its Antecedents”. An unpublished B.A Long Essay presented to the University of Jos, Jos, June, 1983

Some of Karibi’s creative activities are:

  1. Host, “My Kind of Music” on Radio Rivers 99.1 FM, Port Harcourt, from 1996 – 1999; 2007 – 2014
  2. Co-presenter/Anchor, “Tuesday Morning Live” on Radio Rivers 99.1 FM, Port Harcourt, 2007 – 2023
  3. Anchor, “Midweek Boost” on “How is Your World?”, Radio Rivers 99.1, FM Stereo, Port Harcourt, 1991 – 2002
  4. Creator and Associate Producer, Radio Rivers AM, “Literary Journal” broadcast twice a week, 1987 – 1992
  5. Semi-finalist in the National Library of Poetry (USA) 1992 competition for my poem “Bound By His Own Knots: A Cry For Austin” published in Cynthia Stevens (ed.) Tears of Fire (Owing Mills: Franz, 1993), p. 426.

Mr. George has earned some recognitions and awards for his endeavours. They include:

  1. Rotary Club of Port Harcourt Urban “Vocational Excellence Award (Public Relations Service)”, 2024.
  2. Faculty of Education, Ignatius Ajuru University of Education “Distinguished Personality Award in Recognition of Significant Contribution to Educational Growth and Service to Humanity”, 2023.
  3. Rivers State Chapter, Nigerian Institute of Public Relations award for “Exemplary Leadership and Support to the Chapter” 2023.
  4. Men’s Missionary Union of First Baptist Church, Port Harcourt, Nigeria “Most Inspirational Father of the Year” 2023.
  5. Baptist High School Port Harcourt Old Students Association 1979 Set Award for “Selfless Service and Sustainability of Our Association”, 2022.
  6. NIPR Presidential Award as “Public Relations Personality of the Year 2019”
  7. NIPR, Rivers State Chapter “Excellent Service Award 2018”
  8. “Father of the Year 2011” by the Royal Ambassadors, First Baptist Church, 93 Aggrey Road, Port Harcourt
  9. Rotary Club of Port Harcourt GRA, Vocational Service Award 2011
  10. NIPR, Rivers State Chapter “NIPR Selfless Service Award” 2008
  11. NIPR, Rivers State Chapter “Chairman’s Award For Excellence”, 2004
  12. Lintas Prize for the “Best Student in Advertising Law and Ethics” in the Certificate in Advertising Examinations of APCON, 2001
  13. Listed as a Public Relations Practitioner in Media World Year Book 1996
  14. Rotary Club of Port Harcourt “Certificate of Appreciation to Best Rotaract President, 1990”
  15. Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA), 1985
  16. First Prize, School Essay Competition, Baptist High School, Port Harcourt, 1979.

Karibi is an avid Lawn Tennis player, who loves watching football, especially Arsenal Football Club of London, England; listening to classical and jazz music, reading, and monitoring shortwave radio broadcasts.

He is married to Princess Ebitari (nee Aganaba), an Accountant, and the marriage is blessed with children.