The need for Professional Public Relations Practitioners to rise up and take over the many spaces available for Information Dissemination to mitigate the negative impact of non-professionals has been emphasized.
The Commissioner for Information Delta State Delta State Charles Ehiedu Aniagwu gave this charge in a goodwill message he delivered during the opening formalities of a two day conference organised by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations at Ibom Hotel and Golf Resort, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
The Commissioner stated that non-professionals over the years, especially since the advent of the social media, have bestrode the communication arena thereby making communication and Information dissemination an all comers affair.
The Commissioner opined that one of the ways to check the ugly trend is for Public Relations Practitioners to take the bull by the horns by providing the necessary leadership in the sector with a view to reducing the negative impact of the non-professionals. This they could do by getting involved at the initial stage especially those who are inclined towards working with Politicians and Governments.
Commending the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations for being proactive in updating practioners with the current trends in the communication sector, Aniagwu urged participants to justify the investment on them by their employers since they were privileged to have been selected to be part of the training.
Speaking on the theme of the Conference, ‘CHANGING THE DYNAMICS OF GOVERNANCE THROUGH STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION’, the Commissioner noted that Public Relations Practitioners cannot afford to be left behind especially in the face of the new normal after challenges like COVID-19, #ENDSARS protest and other outbreaks that have changed the way of doing things and responding to occurrences in the polity.
He therefore urged the beneficiaries especially those in Government and other organisations to ensure that the new knowledge acquired during the training trickles down to their subordinates so as to ensure that nobody is left behind.