Appoint professionals into information ministry, NOA, practitioners urge Tinubu

Stakeholders in the Nigerian marketing communications industry have called on President Bola Tinubu to recognise Nigeria’s reputation as a critical national security and commercial asset and appoint experienced professionals to man the country’s ministry of information as well as the National Orientation Agency (NOA).

Speaking on the calibre of people President Tinubu should appoint to various key positions, players in the Nigerian advertising and public relations sectors were unanimous in their positions that the time has come for professionals with hands-on experience in reputation management and brand positioning to be given the chance to contribute their experiences towards evolving and moulding the appropriate image for the country, while also professionally engaging the populace n behalf of the government.

Lending his voice to the debate, former chairman of the Advertising Standards Panel of the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), Ade Akinde, highlighted the importance of hiring the services of professionals for the Nigerian information ministry and the NOA, saying it will be the only way of maximising the marketing of Tinubu’s democracy deliverables to Nigerians and to other countries.

Akinde, who is also a business instructor with Capstone Edge College, Canada, said communications have grown to become a serious national security asset that should be managed by highly experienced professionals as a means of ensuring better-coordinated policy management while also ensuring that the people are carried along in all that government plans to do.

“The Ministry of Information, and its agency, the National Orientation Agency are important assets of the government that should be manned by experienced professionals. The NOA, by its mandate, is saddled with communicating government policy, staying abreast of public opinion, and promoting patriotism, national unity, and the development of Nigerian society. What this means is that this agency should be on top of its game in diffusing policy and selling them to the people, without which the job wouldn’t be properly done. Only a thoroughbred professional who understands the tools and psychologies of communication management can best deliver results,” he said.

Also speaking on the issue, Chief Executive Office, TBWA/CONCEPT, emphasised the importance of employing communications professionals in all areas concerning information management and national mobilisation and urged Tinubu to ensure he takes advantage of the large pool of experienced professionals in the industry for public communication and information management.

“I hope that well-heeled professional communication practitioners will be appointed to man the Information Ministry. Equally important is the National Orientation Agency. My suggestion would be someone with experience in Public Relations, advertising, and related disciplines. Or at least someone who can approach the role from a Strategic Communication perspective,” Nwosu said.
Lending his voice to the debate, Akonte Ekine, CEO, AbsolutePR advised the president to depart from the norm of engaging propagandists to do the work of communication, saying the government will benefit more from engaging the services of professional communicators to engender positive healthy policy engagements with the people.

“That will first set the right mood for engaging in conversations, which is the hallmark of public communication. It is not a one-sided thing. So, I will expect that the administration will do a good search for the right people, especially with the series of issues on the ground there is a need for a robust personality to take on the responsibility, he said.

Ekine, who is the founder of Consumer Value Awards, also agreed that the Nigerian communications industry has professionals with the requisite reputation capital to positively make impact when given the opportunity

“The National Orientation Agency is probably one of the most important agencies of government in Nigerian at the moment. The NOA should go back to the drawing board and rediscover the reason for its creation as well as the goals and objectives and only a professional will best perform this assessment and determine what should be done to weave the country together and help forge a united national agenda, he concluded.