…as Ogun State government trains 100 Information/Public Relations Officers
Expectedly, when a training of such magnitude is organized, especially with the resources that must have been put into it in this period of economic crunch, a lot of critical and salient issues must also have been thrown up and pushed to the front burner of discourse in order to achieve the set objectives.
Dateline was, Wednesday, the 18th to Thursday, 19th September, 2024. The event was a 2- Day Training for Information/ Public Relations Officers put together by the Ogun State Government (Office of the Head of Service) in Conjunction with OTTOCOM International held at the Obas Complex, Oke–Mosan, Abeokuta with the theme “Up scaling Public Information Management Through Strategic Public Relations".
The Ogun State Government ably led by the Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun and his team for giving approval and financing this kind of training geared toward reinvigorating the government information machineries no doubt deserve a major pat on the back as this clearly demonstrated that his administration is ‘walking the talk’, as far as capacity building in the civil and public service is concerned, knowing full well that the civil/public service remain the engine room of the government.
Some of the salient issue that were however thrown up included the need for paradigm shift to change the narratives in terms of public sector information management, understanding the place of information/ Public Relations Officers or Managers as it were in galvanizing positive public opinion for favorable image of the government by critically and constantly engaging the public, positioning the government as a major player in shaping the media space and understanding the folly or danger of leaving the public sphere for manipulation without control, being abreast, conversant, versatile, attuning and moving with the wind of change and the growing trends in the Information and Communications Technology and clearly adapting its usage for optimal performance.
Others are, understanding the place of merging professional ethics with personal ethics and characters, distinguishing vividly between the role of a Public Relations Officer and a journalists, the need for government and the critical stakeholders to invest in technology and ensure that their Information Managers are adequately equipped, recognizing Public Relations as a Management function as well as granting Information/ Public Relations Officer the deserving indulgence of being part of Management in order to be able to feed forward, forecast, analyze trends and predict consequences of management actions and decision and be in a better stead to advice management/government appropriately to mitigate the future occurrences of crisis, conflicts and or its effects, renewed understanding of the Ogun State government’s vision and ĥtransformation agenda as encapsulated in the "Ise Ya Mantra and keying into it, knowing who is an ideal and how to be an ideal Information and Public Relations Manager and how to navigate the journey through persuasive report writing skills, the place of data- driven journalism and solution journalism in the new era or dispensation of information management, understanding how to navigate and be heard loudly even in the face of information overload among others were also among the critical issues thrown up at the recently concluded training.
And for the over 100 Information/Public Relations Officers who were participants drawn from the different Ministries, Department, Agencies and Parastatals of the Ogun state government as well their counterparts in the Local Governments, it was a moment of truth, a time to eradicate redundancy, rejuvenate, rub minds and cross-fertilize ideas and bond.
The quality of attendance and the arrays of guests as well as speakers drawn from the Public and Private Sector attested more to this. The list is no doubt intimidating .They included the Chief Dr. Fassy Adetokunbo Yusuf, a Lawyer, Distinguished Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, Communication, Management and Development expert and former Commissioner for Information, Youth and Sports in the State who joined the seminar virtually.
Others include Dr Niran Malaolu, another former Commissioner for information and MD/ CEO of Boot Communications, owner of Rock- city FM, Permanent Secretary/ Clerk of the Ogun State House of Assembly and Former Chairman of the Ogun State Council of the Nigerian Union of Journalists and Public Relations expert,Barrister Demola Badejo, Honourable Kayode Akinmade, a two term Commissioner for Information in Ondo State and Special Adviser to the OgunState Governor on Media and Strategy who led the media team of the Governor to the event.
Others are: Dr Babatunde Tella, Chairman, Ogun State House of Assembly Committee on Establishment and Training, Honorable Segun Kaka Chairman, Ogun State House of Assembly Committee on Information and Education, Mr. Femi Dokunmu, One time Chairman of the Ogun State Chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, Mr. Dare Folarin, former Chief Press Secretary to the Ogun State government and later Corporate Affairs Manager, Globalcom, Mr Gbenga Gbesan, a veteran Journalist, of the G.G Associates, Mr Bimbo Alagbe, also a past Chairman of the Ogun State Chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relation, Dr. Dele Odunlami, a Professor of Broadcast Journalism of the Department of Mass Communication, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Mr. Jola Oyeneye, mni, Permanent Secretary, Ogun State Bureau of Public Service reform, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information and Strategy, Mr Waheed Adesina, some members of the body of Permanent Secretaries as well as the General Managers of the State owned TV and Radio, Mr Tunde Kassim and Ms Toyin Sogbesan among others
Speakers at the end of the 2 - Day event were unanimous about the fact that training for Information/Public Relations Officers is long overdue and non –negotiable, urging the participants to see the opportunity as another chance to bond, while thanking the Governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun for graciously granting the training and appreciated the Head of Service, Mr Kehinde Onasanya for the initiative.
They were also unanimous about the fact that information is power and that the era of archaic information management is gone for good and as such, underscored the need to evolve a virile information Management Strategy, without which it would appear like " Winking in the Dark’’.
In a virtual contribution, One time Commissioner for Information, Youths and Sports in Ogun State and a veteran public relations practitioner, Chief Dr. Fassy AdetokunboYussuf while charging participants said: ‘’To succeed on the job, Information /Public Relations Officers must provide accurate, timely and prompt information on government policies, in addition to being well abreast of the use of Information and Communication Technology(ICT) as well as understand the use and applications of the different Quotients: Emotional, Adversity Intelligence, Social and, Spiritual in managing people and operations.
The keynote speaker, a thoroughbred journalist, public relations practitioner and media strategist and the incumbent Special Adviser to the Ogun State Governor on Media and Strategy, Honourable Kayode Akinmade did not mince words as he categorically told the Information/ Public Relations Officers to up their games and redefine their roles, upscale and retool if they must be a major player in the ever changing world of Journalism and as well claim their rightful place.
According to Honourble Akinmade , since perception is tantamount to reality, Information/ Public Relations Officers must engage and be in the public space almost at all times - be visible and consistent, write and let the public know what is going on in the organization they represents and strive to rise above the challenges of survival to ensure that the perception of the public of the government is positive.
He said, this can be better achieved through effective engagement, which invariably means that Information/ Public Relations Officers must have a complete awareness of what the government is doing.
Akinmade Said: ‘’Information/ Public Relations Officers must be proactive and strive towards positioning the government as a major player in the media space, knowing full well that , " If you do not make use of the media space, it may be manipulated for negative use.
‘’There is the need to keep engaging the public. As information/ Public Relations Officers , you must Know that if you do not engage, you can't be considered, and when you have presence, you will dominate. To be relevant in the media space, you must dominate. If you can't dominate, you are not there and If you are not there, you are not there. Therefore,, Information/ Public Relations Officers should rejig and work to ensure that government dominates national consciousness, generate new contents and dare to be different, don't be a recyclers of news, said Akinmade.
‘’You must rejig and innovate. You cannot succeed on this job if all you do is to be a recycler of news. You must go beyond the run –off the mill approach Information Officer must be social media savvy, know how and when to use the instagram, facebook, Tik-Tok and take charge of the public sphere through constant engagement.
On the part of government, he assured that the government is not oblivious of the fact that all of those thingas need funding.
‘Admittedly, these require adequate funding, but government is always ready . If we want government to respect us, we must rejig. government wants something new, everyone wants result. You must rise up to the challenge, Akinmade concluded.
Towing the same line of though is a former Commissioner in the Ogun State Ministry of Information and Strategy and the CEO, Rock City FM, Dr Niran Malaoulu who also expressed concern that as Press officer, their level of engagement with the public is abysmally low. He also tutored them on the need to clearly define the territory between Public Relations and Journalism.
‘’Journalist have to be critical, but as Press Officers, you are to manage the image of the government and or your principal , But, sad enough as Press Officers, you do not engage. It is not everywhere water is going to flow. Even if the government is bad, your projection of the government will make it right. The way you present your case determines how others perceive it, since perception is reality’’.
“You do not write, write and engage. In Imeko-Afon for instance , is there nothing happening, where is the engagement? Nobody is happy about the current state of the country, but you have to rise above the frustration to encourage yourself.
Earlier, the Head of Service, Mr Kehinde Onasanya while declaring the seminar open , had described the training as the first of its kind after Ogun State domesticated the resolution of the National Council on Establishments on the change of nomenclature of Information Officers as Public Relation Officers. And, giving his background as a Media Officer, Mr. Onasanya said the training was topmost in his heart.
According to him "I derive joy in the training due to my past as Information Officer. We must realize that the world of managing information for the government has changed. In our time, we go through the drudgery of producing news items through archaic means such as the use of fax machines, typewriters and the likes.
That was when the Newsroom was a real mad house. Then, we relied on the cameraman, videographer’’
Recalling his days as a Press Officer and the fantasies that followed, Onasanya said : ‘’In all, we were personally motivated. There was that excellent spirit of dedication, we were always eager to write feature articles that will bore our respective bylines.
Happily, the environment has changed today, from the old to n new media On the snap of the finger, news are generated. Thus, everyone with a good mobile phone can push information. You should take advantage of this shift to make your work better, he counselled.
Welcoming Participants and speakers, the Permanent Secretary in the Bureau of Establishments and Training, Mrs. Lydia Fajounbo had said the trading was among other things meant to enhance skills and broaden the perspectives of information/Public relations Officers, urging them to make good use of the opportunity and seize the opportunity to leant, relearn and unlearn.
The facilitator of the Training, CEO OTTOCOM International, Mr. Tope Adaramola, who is an excellent Public Relations and insurance practitioner and former Chairman of the Ogun State Chapter of NIPR in a presentation observed: “To succeed in life depends on three cardinal principles of ethics, including being competitive, but the ideal thing is that being competitive may not take you to the pinnacle of your career, but at some point, character, which is an ethical issue are important, which is who you really are.
‘’Professional Ethics is very important, but when personal ethics breaks, there is nothing for personal effectiveness to stand on. Therefore, there must be a synergy between personal ethics and professional ethics. Thus, even at the most challenging time, your actions must not contradict your decisions or personal ethics.
‘’Those with strong ethics are personally motivated and at a point a man of ethics works more initially in his career more than he is paid, but a time will come when he would be paid more than he works.. To build strong personal ethics, it is essential to know the seed imbued in you and track it, everyone has a seed you must find and track your own’, Adaramola said.
Mr. Jola Oyeneye, mni, Permanent Secretary, Ogun State Bureau of Public Service reform in a paper entitled, ‘’Renewed Understanding of the Ogun State government vision and transformation agenda challenged participants that as Information/Public Relations Officers, they must first of all develop affinity for Ogun State as a brand while also having a clear understanding of the vision and mission of the government , warning that ‘’if you do not understand Ogun State, you cannot write extensively about the state’.
Oyeneye said:’’ With good comprehension of the activities and programmes of the government, information/ Public Relations Officers will be in the best position to educate the public and let the people know that the government is constantly in tune by putting the government in the news at all times.
Other quality papers presented revolved on the topic: persuasive reportorial writing skill by Mr. Dare Folarin. Public Opinion Measurement and Evaluation Strategy by Mr. Gbenga Gbesan, Managing Public Information through IT and Social Media Skills by Odamilola Adeyanju, Data- Driven Journalism and Public Governance by Professor Dele Odunlami as well as Experience sharing by Barrister Demola Badejo, whose messages also revolved around character.
In terms of impact, a lot of gains and positive vibes are already unfolding giving how much the speakers and the guests delved extensively into issues as well as how much they are willing to give freely of their professional experiences garnered over the years by allowing the modern day Information/ Public Relations Officer drink from their wealth of experiences and fountain of knowledge.
Thus, the gathering apart from being star-studded was a meeting of sort between the men of the old order, the who is who in information/Public Relations Management, public sector affairs among others in Ogun State and the present crop of practitioners, which not only allows for cross-fertilization of ideas but also strive to reshape the narratives, perspectives and orientations of the participants.
For instance, some of the participants confessed to having a change of orientation and mindset in terms of manners of approach to their work and some are already thinking of how best they can write articles In a creative manner order than the usual run -off the mill approach considered as drab and archaic.
It was also an opportunity to be exposed to how and how not to use data in driving home ones points as a reporter apart from the aspect of knowing what role solution journalism for instance can play and how personal ethics in career progression is essential.
Understanding the vision and mission of the Ogun state government for instance is another aspects of the take away for some of the participants who attested to the fact that they are best equipped, while in the aspect of using the instrumentality of IT and social media to ply their trade, it was indeed a major eye-opener as the resource person delved into the fact that the audience on the social media is estimated to be more than a whole continent combined, saying, knowing how to make good use of this will no doubt be of immense benefits to the participants.
Already, some of the agencies were seeing exchanging contact with the IT guy to get more familiarize and see the possibility of inviting him for a lecture in this aspect to further broaden their horizon.
Even as the participants continue to interface with the contacts and bonding they have been able to initiate between the old order and their contemporaries, there will always be a ripple effect in terms of personal and professional gains and these are no doubt reassuring and justifies the resources put into it by the Ogun State government which will no doubt spur the government to do more.
Certificates were later presented to the participants to wrap up the event
Waheed Ogunjobi, Journalist, author, Public Affairs Analyst and Public Relations expert is a Senior Editor with the Ogun State Broadcasting Corporation and the Vice Chairman, Ogun State Chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations. He can be reached via 08035004741 or waheedogunjobi@gmail,com
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