Oghenevwede Ohwovoriole in Abuja 

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has urged its public relations officers to make use of both traditional and new media to project its image beyond the shores of the country.

The Acting Director General of NYSC, Mrs. Christy Uba made the call yesterday at a workshop for all the public relations officers of the Corps in Abuja.

Speaking at the workshop, Uba challenged the scheme’s media officers to use both means for effective information dissemination 

He said: “Let me also remind you of the need to continue to leverage the traditional and the new media to ensure effective publicity for the contributions of the scheme to the country’s socio-economic development.

“It is also on this premise that the management of the Corps established the NYSC Radio and Television Stations, which are already enhancing the visibility of the Scheme in the media space, and allowing us tell our story without any encumbrance.

“In this connection, I hereby direct all state secretariats to acquire high definition cameras and other ancillary equipment to enhance the operations of the Stations,” the acting director-general said.

Uba also noted the need for them to monitor the social media in order to correct any misgivings on the scheme.

She urged the public relations officers to step up the monitoring of the social media so as to promptly correct misconceptions as well as fake stories fraudulent or mischievous persons may peddle about the Scheme.

She added that the management of Corps “shall continue to provide an enabling environment for the participants to perform their duties optimally.”

She charged participants to come up with innovations on best practices while celebrating them for the good work they have been doing.

She said: “At this juncture, I would like to call on participants to use this forum to share experiences and come up with ideas on best practices. I also enjoin you, as reputation managers, to step up efforts at sustaining harmonious relationships with our critical stakeholders.

“It is gratifying to note that the public relations officers have continued to earn accolades for the diligent discharge of their duties, including the professional management of our public functions..

“Even as we celebrate your numerous accomplishments, you must not rest on your oars, especially in view of the demanding nature of your schedules. As you are already aware, public relations practice is dynamic: responding appropriately to emerging challenges, and the peculiarities of the operating environment.

Conscious of the need to bring you up to speed with evolving trends in corporate image management, The Corps has continued to provide avenues for the upgrade of your knowledge and skills.

“The inclusion of Protocol and Freedom of Information Act Trainings in this workshop is to further sharpen your skills in these important areas thereby making the programme an all round one.”