Right from the colonial era, governments in Nigeria have always recognized the strategic importance of communications in the business of governance. Even during electioneering campaigns, communications has also become a critical success factor. Indeed, in my view, a well-coordinated strategy of marketing communications was the major critical factor that won the last presidential election for Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressive Congress (APC).
President Buhari truly acknowledges the importance of communications in his administration that his first two appointments were: Femi Adesina, former managing director, The Sun Newspapers as special adviser (Media and Publicity), and Garba Shehu, former head of his campaign media team, as senior special assistant (Media and Publicity). Many state governments have also made similar appointments.
With due respect, the fluidity of these appointments, even though they show importance attached to communications, has the tendency to cause a clash of function. For now, the responsibilities are not well-defined. In my candid professional opinion, one should have been appointed special adviser (Media) while the other, special adviser (Public Affairs).
I am advocating that both should be special advisers so that both can attend Federal Executive Council (FEC) meetings and be fully abreast of the president’s utterances, activities, policies and programmes to be able to dissect them properly and market them convincingly. While both of them speak for the president and the presidency, the minister of information speaks for the Federal Government and remains the leader of the government communications/PR team.
From my classification, the two jobs are quite distinct but complement each other to achieve a common goal. The SA (Media) is the person in charge of publicity and media relations. He issues press releases and press statements to make important announcements such as president’s appointments, statements, declarations, movements, and official functions. The SA (Media) also organizes press interviews, conferences, facility visits, luncheons, etc on behalf of the president. He/she is the chief press secretary to the president. He/she ensures that the president or presidency maintains cordial relationship with critical media stakeholders such as publishers, electronic media owners, editors, correspondents, broadcasters, social media operators, among others.
Because of the enormous powers and responsibilities entrusted on the mass media by Section 22 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the high level of press freedom in Nigeria, managing media relations is one of the most difficult aspects of government communications. If the media do not support an administration, as was the case in the last lap of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, the government can hardly succeed or survive. So, the SA (Media) has a lot of work to do to monitor the media landscape, create the desired relationships with the media, and propagate the president’s vision and actions in the media – both mainstream and social media, national and international. The job requires a dexterous mind, wide experience in journalism or public relations practice, friendly disposition, someone respected among editors and other journalists. He/she must have a dedicated team of professionals to deliver positive media for the president.
On the other hand, the SA (Public Affairs) also has a wide area of responsibility. He is the president’s chief public relations officer, chief reputation manager and brand builder. He/she also manages the president’s events and acts as executive compere. He/she builds bridges of mutual understanding, friendship and support for the president. He/she identifies various publics/stakeholders and builds and manages relationships for the president to win public goodwill, cooperation and loyalty. He maintains robust engagement with opinion leaders, professional or civil society groups, and opposition elements across the country and beyond. He/she must be schooled in recruiting opinion leaders of integrity who would ultimately become unsolicited brand ambassadors for the principal.
The SA (Public Affairs) defends the president’s actions and programmes and projects them through various strategic means. This requires high analytical mind, intellectual capacity, power of logic, research, oratory and debate, persuasive and marketing communications skills, among others. These qualities help him/her in analyzing trends and identifying knotty issues that need to be properly managed to prevent crisis. He/she manages public opinion and public perception in the most professional manner. Because he speaks for the president, he/she must do so with decorum, finesse, integrity, responsibility and wisdom. He/she must be a credible person whose character is unimpeachable. As they say, he who goes to equity must go with clean hands! He/she does not need to be an attack dog (if he does his job well). The job is to make friends not enemies for the president. Nonetheless, he/she must also have the required skill to put “unrepentant enemies” and “professional critics” in their place! Furthermore, he/she must equally be schooled in the art and science of political communication and propaganda. He/she too must have a dedicated team of professionals to work with and deliver positive image for the president!
At the state levels, I advocate that we have chief press secretaries (CPS) and senior special assistants (Public Affairs). With the delineation highlighted above, it would be easy to achieve desired results that are measureable. I advocate that in-house PR departments in government should be carried along and given enough responsibilities to make them productive and contributory to the common goal.
Where then is the nexus between journalism and public relations in this whole issue? Both professions are complimentary. A good journalism background makes the jobs easier, especially wide media contacts and writing ability. But journalism and public relations are not the same, even though many senior journalists end up in public relations jobs. While one simply deals with gathering of information, processing them and disseminating same to a wide, heterogeneous audience, the other deals with managing information and communication to build goodwill and reputation and manage same.
It is self-evident that all the jobs are public relations functions, which are regulated by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) Decree 1990, now an Act (Laws of the Federal Republic, CAP 114). Communication and information management is within the realm of public relations and all the practitioners, including the political appointees, must adhere to professional conduct and ethics. The SA (Media) or CPS should see himself as a PR manager and act as such.
Being a spokesperson for a government entails a lot – you must thoroughly understand your principal, his personality, vision, programmes, policies; you must be properly briefed at all times and authorized to speak on specific issues. The essence is to get his actions properly explained, understood, appreciated and supported by critical stakeholders and the general public. Every communication should be strategic – planned with clear objectives – and messages designed delivered at the right time and right quantity to achieve specific favourable responses from the target audience.
The NIPR should, as usual, ensure that the political appointees are properly trained or re-trained in effective public relations management and made to adhere strictly to the professional conduct and ethics of the institute, and assisted professionally to deliver the best possible results to their principals.
Jossy Nkwocha
