The President of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Dr. Ike Nellaku; Prof Saadat Abdulbaki of the University of Ilorin, and other A-rated speakers have corroborated to train Information Officers in the Kwara State Ministries, Agencies and Departments (MDAs) on effective information management.

At the one-day training programme held recently at the Wingate Hotel, Tanke in Ilorin, the state capital. Dr. Nellaku spoke on the strategies to become efficient Information Officers and Public Relations Managers by outlining the tools for successful public relations “which include understanding your operating environment, stakeholders, the significance of the message, and the feedback from the audience.”

The NIPR president, while appreciating the state governor for running-media friendly administration, called for a change to the nomenclature of Information Officers to Public Relations Officers.

Also, Associate Prof. Saadat Abdulbaki, a member of NIPR governing council, in her submission, advised participants to constantly analyse trends, predicting consequences, counseling organisational leaders, and implementing planned programmes.

She described lack of trust, perceptual errors, self-serving bias, among others, as potential obstacles in consensus building in public relations.

In addition, the NIPR Vice President and Chairman of the Council’s Education Committee, Prof. Emmanuel Dandaura, extolled the information officers to hold dearly to the passion for their job, adding that: “To achieve anything successfully in life, there must be a passion for it.”

Other speakers, including Kwara State Commissioner for Communications, Mrs. Bola Olukoju; Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Rafiu Ajakaye, and Public Relations expert, Mr. Gbenga Okeowo, all dwelt on different aspects of information management and the need to use of internet technology such as Google Alert, Google Workplace, Google Alert Photo AI, among others.

The facilitators led by Nigeria Representative on IPI Executive Board in Vienna, Raheem Adedoyin, also held roundtable discussion with the Kwara State Executive Council members to discuss emerging trends in information management and need for strategy towards establishing as well as sustaining good image for the current administration.