Govt information managers have been advised to keep up with digitalisation to remain relevant and keep their jobs
By Dele Moses
Keeping abreast of transformation in media practice has been identified as a key element for Information managers in government establishments, if they are to remain relevant in the profession.
A media and public relations expert, Alh Saadu Salahu gave the charge while delivering a lecture at a workshop organised by the Kwara State’s chapter of the Nigeria Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) in Ilorin, the state capital.
He said that media practice and public relations are today challenging professions due to economic hardship and digitalisation.
Salahu, who is also the Special Adviser on Strategy to Kwara state governor said that information managers should not relax but adjust to reality of the new times.
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He noted that a lot of professionals have lost their jobs in the two professions due to digitalisation that has transformed the practice of the professions
He however said that this development could be checked if the practitioner update themselves and keep trend with the modern practice.
” As government information officers, there is a challenge for you in getting your stories published because what you have in your press releases do not make news and the editor may not publish it, because it does not sell his paper. As information managers, you must therefore strive to understand the psyche of the news room; what makes news.
“The media profession has gone through many transformation and as information managers, we must adjust to the reality of our time.
You must have the necessary connection of relevant professional in journalism and public relations to get your job done,” Salahu advised.
In his remarks, the director of Information in the state’s ministry of Communications, Alh Ayobami Akanbi, urged the participants at the workshop to take advantage of the programme to broaden their knowledge for improved performance in their jobs.
Earlier, the chairman of NIPR in the state, Dr Saudat Abdulbaki, had highlighted the activities of the association and the need for information managers and officers to enroll as members of the institute.
She advised the participants to take the training seriously as he described the resource person as a media and public relations giant.
Dignitaries that attended the workshop included the Special Adviser on Political Communications, Alh Bashir Adigun and chairman, Kwara State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Abdullateef Ahmed.
