BY UZAIRU DAUDA BUNGA:
Information and Public Relations Officers have been urged to leverage the knowledge gained on modern communication strategies to effectively disseminate Government policies and programs in their respective Ministries, Departments, and Agencies.
Thei State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Comrade Usman Garba Danturaki, gave the charge during the closing ceremony of a workshop on the Bauchi State Communication Strategy organized by the USAID State2State project.
The commissioner, who was represented by the Director of Information at the Ministry, Alhaji Yakubu Mahmood Yero, emphasized that the draft Communication Strategy, implemented since 2023, has yielded positive results in promoting government initiatives across the state.
Comrade Usman Garba Danturaki highlighted the importance of modern communication tools in ensuring the sustainability of government information dissemination, urgimg information officers to adopt the strategies and assured them of effective supervision by the Ministry to ensure the integrity and professionalism of the communication process.
Also Speaking at the event, the USAID State2State Communication Specialist, Mr. Israel Odiba, encouraged information officers to harness the power of social media to promote their ministries’ activities.
He emphasized that information officers are key players in raising public awareness of government policies and programs. He further advised them to strengthen their roles as professional gatekeepers of information, especially in combating the spread of fake news by unqualified individuals.
In his remarks, the state Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Comrade Umar Sa’idu, represented by the Auditor of the Union, Comrade Isyaka Ismail Wunti, commended the workshop as timely, noting that it would equip information officers with modern communication skills, thereby enhancing the activities of the NUJ in the state.
He also praised USAID State2State for its significant contribution to improving journalism in Bauchi and urged the state government to fully adopt and implement the Communication Strategy as a guiding document for Public Relations and Information Officers across MDAs.
In his contribution, the Senior Information Officer Alhaji Sulaiman Alhassan Dambam stressed the critical role of information officers in advancing citizens’ well-being, particularly in vital sectors like health and education.
He therefore encouraged officers to broaden their communication methods, including interpersonal communication and town hall meetings, to address issues such as revenue generation and immunization. By doing so, he said, they would help dispel misconceptions and contribute to the creation of a better society.
