Stakeholders in the Nigerian marketing communications industry have implored President Bola Tinubu to appoint experienced professionals to head both the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation Agency (NOA) in view of their pivotal roles in promoting government policies and programmes.

They charged the Nigerian leader to recognise the country’s reputation as a critical national security and commercial asset.
Speaking on the calibre of persons the Nigerian leader should appoint to various key positions, players in the advertising and public relations sectors unanimously agreed that the time had come for tested professionals in reputation management and brand positioning to be given the chance to evolve and mould the appropriate image for the country, while also professionally engaging the populace on behalf of government.

In his contribution, former Chairman of Advertising Standards Panel of the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), Dr. Ade Akinde, who underscored the importance of hiring professionals for the Ministry of Information and the NOA, added that it was the only way of effectively marketing Tinubu’s democracy deliverables to Nigerians and 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 does or plans to do.

His words: “The Ministry of Information and its agency, the National Orientation Agency, are important assets of 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 development of the 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.”

Also speaking, Chief Executive Officer, TBWA/CONCEPT, Kelechi Nwosu, underscored the importance of employing communications professionals in all areas concerning information management and national mobilisation, urging the President to ensure he takes advantage of the large pool of experts 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,” he said.

Lending his voice to the debate, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of AbsolutePR, Akonte Ekine, urged the President to depart from the norm of engaging propagandists to do the work of communication, saying his government would benefit more from engaging the services of professional communicators to engender positive and 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 need for a robust personality to take on the responsibility, he advised.

Continuing, 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 Nigeria 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.