Akinyemi: Strategic Communications Key to Public Trust

A fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations and a PR consultant, Kayode Akinyemi, in this interview with Raheem Akingbolu, bares his mind on communications management around the just concluded national protest and advises the government on strategic communications and crisis management. Excerpts:

Can you appraise the federal government’s communication approach?

The core issue lies in the communication strategy. While the government has initiated numerous populist and pro-people projects—such as cash transfers to the poor, loans to SMEs and large corporations, a student loan scheme, agricultural programs for the youth, and road projects—these initiatives are poorly communicated to the public. The various information units within government ministries, departments and agencies are not effectively publicizing these efforts. 

It is important to note that government and private sectors engage tested and experienced Journalists to handle their information management. However, I believe that this is a gross error committed over time. Journalists are trained to report news or give an account of events timely and accurately, and in some cases engage in investigative reporting.

Whereas, strategic communications and PR experts engage in deliberate, planned and sustained programmes to achieve an understanding between the government and its various stakeholders.

Though this is your opinion, I think this can be countered with many factors, but I think you hold on to this because you are a PR practitioner. Besides, most journalists acquired the same certificates and professional qualifications of the so-called PR experts?

No, this is neither about me nor about my colleagues in the Marketing Communications industry. My position is in line with global standards and how we can move our dear country forward. Please, we should not politicise this and we should not personalise it.

By nomenclature, officials managing government information go by the designation of Media Adviser or Chief Press Secretary – meaning that they are restricted to managing relationships with the media segment alone. The question is – what happens to other stakeholders of governments?

I think the right thing to do is to get strategic communications and PR experts involved in managing government communications with a view to having communications activity planned for a year or a four-year duration of an administration. 

A strategic communications expert will, in an ideal situation, advise his principal to communicate the status of a state or the nation when he is taking over to enable the citizens to have a clear picture of how bad or good the situation was before his principal assumed office. Also, a step further would be for the communications expert to convince his principal to do things differently.

Looking at the activities of the government in the last one year, is it that the government is not doing enough or the communication approach was wrong?

The government is indeed making significant strides in sectors like; power, infrastructure, education, health, and agriculture. However, the lack of effective communication creates the impression that little is being done. That explains why I have consistently urged the government to embark on a deliberate, planned and sustained strategic communications plan to drive the government activities and disseminate the same to the populace effectively to engender feedback.  

Going forward, what advice can you give in this regard?

I think the government should differentiate between media advisors and communication/public affairs advisors, and engage both to achieve optimal results. There is a need to create a synergistic structure, establish a Directorate of Communication and Public Affairs to work in synergy with the National Orientation Agency and special assistants on community engagement to effectively publicize government activities. 

Government should provide adequate funding to the various agencies of information, communications and public affairs for effective delivery. One of the reasons government and private sector communications fail over the years is poor funding. Information and communications agencies’ budgets are usually the last when budget allocations are considered. The earlier the government and private sectors begin to see the importance of communications to the success of their existence the better.

What role can feedback mechanism play in all these?

Before considering the roles of feedback mechanisms, I think the first thing is to urge governments at various levels to invest on feedback mechanisms through its strategic communication personnel. It should be noted that feedback should not be seen as a terminal activity; rather feedback should start from day one of the communications plan so that the executors can easily identify the point at which the programme derails from the set objectives and this will help in rectifying the error.

More importantly, feedback mechanisms will help the government to know whether or not their programmes are accepted by the governed. 

Finally, the government needs to reappraise its engagement strategy, invest in citizens’ engagement via different formal and informal fora to regain the trust and confidence of the citizens.

What is your take about the just concluded protest by Nigerians on good governance?

The protest reflects the divergence between the peoples’ expectations and the reality on the ground. The Renewed Hope Agenda promises general economic improvements for both individuals and the nation. However, because of the long years of hardship and suffering, the people expect magic or sudden economic transformation to take place. This is the premise on which the ‘protest’ is based on. 

The country is grappling with hunger, food insecurity, inflation, and overall hardship. Although the government has implemented several economic reforms—such as unifying exchange rates to curb forex arbitrage, removing fuel subsidies to free up revenue for infrastructure, and offering education loans to assist indigent students, along with various grants and loan schemes for SMEs and large corporations to bolster the productive sector—many citizens remain unaware of these efforts. Moreover, the lack of accurate data on key metrics like student numbers and unemployment rates hampers effective policy implementation and planning, exacerbating the challenges and leading to implementation issues.

Despite efforts by the government and its communications experts to thwart and discourage Nigerians from taking part in the protest, it continued unabated in many states. As an expert in crisis management, how can you describe the approach taken?

The persistence of the protests indicates a profound distrust in the government given the people’s experience during the previous administrations. Effective crisis management and communication require an identified and authoritative spokesperson or a coordinated team delivering a consistent message. Unfortunately, the government’s approach has been fragmented, with multiple spokespersons providing inconsistent information, leading to confusion and mistrust. Furthermore, instead of engaging with the populace, some government officials have often issued threats, exacerbating the situation. True engagement and transparent, empathetic communication are crucial in managing such crises. 

I also think that there is a need for the government to have a crisis communication plan in place as soon as they assume office. Crisis is not what we plan for, but it is inevitable in the life of a government or/and organisation. A proactive entity should invest and have a well-articulated crisis communications plan in place. Perhaps, if the current administration has this in place, it probably would have envisaged the event of the fuel subsidy removal and the likely public pains and outcry that will follow.