PR Stakeholders Call for Communication Strategies for Peacebuilding, Stability
Public Relations stakeholders have called for improved communication strategies in tackling insecurity and ensuring peace and stability in the country.
The communication professionals made the call at the 7th Lagos PR Stakeholders virtual conference tagged: ‘Adopting Proper communication Strategy, Channels and Technology for National Peace and Stability In Nigeria’.
Leading the discussion at the Conference, the President of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Mallam Muktar Sirajo said that the country is grappling with challenges of development, of which the peace and stability variant must be addressed to serve as a basis upon which to build. He said that the search for peace and stability and consolidation must remain a work in progress through effective communication
He said: “As is well known, of all fields of human endeavour, non is as strategically placed as public relations or communication to provide a platform for a peaceful and harmonious existence among the people, given its core role of relationship building and relationship mending, where it cracks.
“The Nigerian Public Relations family is therefore ever available to play the leading role expected of it in bringing our people together to harness our God-endowed diversity for the pursuit of the common good.”
Also speaking on the same vein, the President of African Public Relations Association (APRA), Mr. Yemi Badejo-Okusanya said that government at all levels should deploy effective crisis communication strategies for conflict resolution, crisis management and humanitarian interventions.
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He said rather than deploying the military might to fight insecurity, the government in liaising with the stakeholders should consider soft-approach and non-kinetic measures to address the root causes of the crises and address the problems.
Similarly, a guest speaker at the occasion, Mallam Yushau Shuaib emphasised on the roles of communicators in crisis management. He advised communicators to play a leading role in promoting peace, security, stability, good governance as well as settlements of disputes.
Shuaib who is the Chief Executive Officer of Image Merchants Promotion Limited added that government, partners, and security services can capitalize on modern communication tools, especially social media to control certain narratives in the battle of ideas to enhance intelligence gathering and promote peace through efficient and effective communication delivery.
In his remarks, the Lagos NIPR Chairman, Segun Mcmedal said, the annual conference has evolved over the years to become a bridge for stakeholders to interact and proffer solutions to the social, political, and economic challenges plaguing our nation.
“This year’s theme of the event is necessary because NIPR is saddened at the downward trends that relationships amongst the various components of the country are taking off which the issue of peace and stability variant must be addressed”
“That is why we need to celebrate and also task the security agencies, corporate organizations, media and relevant institutions to adopt proper communication and PR strategies in promoting national peace and stability” he emphasized.
Other speakers at the event included Mrs Nkechi Ali-Balogun of NECCI Ltd, Captain Aliyu Babangida (Rtd) of Goldwater Consult and Mr. Peter Moncha of UN Women.
The conference organized by the Lagos State Chapter of NIPR, in collaboration with Addefort Limited and Peace and Conflict Resolution Center (PEACrEc), is aimed at identifying dependable channels for public engagement that promotes peace and stability in the country.
By PRNigeria
