The Managing Director, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN),; Mrs Oluremi Oyo has advised public relations officers of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to seek to know more about the terrain in which they work.
Oyo gave the advice in Lagos at a workshop for public relations officers of the NCS organised by NAN Bizcom.
She said that the knowledge of the terrain would determine success or failure of the public relations officer.
The Managing Director, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN),; Mrs Oluremi Oyo has advised public relations officers of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to seek to know more about the terrain in which they work.
Oyo gave the advice in Lagos at a workshop for public relations officers of the NCS organised by NAN Bizcom.
She said that the knowledge of the terrain would determine success or failure of the public relations officer.
“Try and know your publics and the opinion leaders in the media around you. Try and know the people around you especially those you are dealing with,” she said.
In her paper titled “Syndication Techniques in Media Management’’, the managing director said that the desire of the agency, through NAN Bizcom, was to assist those who worked in the media industry.
She said that NAN also desired to assist those in public relations units of various government agencies.
“This of course, is in our self-enlightened interest, since if they do their jobs better, they consequently make our job easier,’’ Oyo said.
According to her, the workshop is coming at a time when managers of the news, in whatever capacity, are expected to give their various publics nothing but the best.
The managing director advised the public relations officers to tell the truth in any situation in a professional manner so as to eliminate speculation.
“If anyone goes ahead to publish falsehood or unnecessary speculation after the truth of the matter has been released, it will be clear that there is an ulterior motive for such an action.
“I believe that truth engenders respect not only of the person releasing it, but also about the issue being presented,” Oyo said.
She described public relations practice as a means of reaching the public and engendering cordial relations with members of the public.
Oyo also described syndication as the process of reaching the media with particular information of choice and selectively using the medium of choice to advance it.
She, however, said that syndication was generally seen in a negative light, adding that “for true media professionals, this ought not to be so”.
In another paper titled “Common Grammatical Errors in Writing”, Mr Olusegun Aribike, NAN Managing Editor, said that English language is a vital tool in information dissemination and management.
Aribike said that the use of English by Nigerians had fallen into a pitiable and terrible state when compared with the standards that obtained in the 70’s.
He urged the public relations practitioners, as agents of social change and communicators, to stem the ugly trend before it would spread too far.
“Another important requirement is that whatever you communicate to your various publics must be devoid of ambiguity, your message must be clear and not vague.
“Your reading or listening public should not be given the burden of filling the gaps in your communication. Also simplicity is another hallmark of a good journalist, ’’ Aribike said.
The managing editor urged the public relations officers to do away with verbosity, verbiage and circumlocution in writing their press releases and to practice conciseness or “word economy”.
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