Struggling with Communication Management
DELTA is a state in the middle of Covid – 19 pandemic crisis. That may not be news anymore but to make matters worse, communication officers from the state government are often as defensive and condescending as their bosses in government.
By Akpovoke Otiti
It is so bad that posts on social media, rather than create good impression of the government make the Okowa-led administration seem out of touch with modern reality. The impression one gets is that even the state governor would rather read cartoons than read the perspectives of ordinary Deltans inveighing against the State myriad problems in newspapers, magazine or online media. His Media managers and spokespersons are either not helping matters or they do not adequately brief the governor before he possibly respond to news making the round..
There are many cases to fairly suggest that the government communication’s team are not doing well enough as far as online communication is concern. Indeed, a little bit of prep could help to avoid betraying the governor’ s annoyance on some social media comments.
Worthy of note is the latest incident concerning Level 7 to17 salary reduction. The off-color remarks have left many Deltans divided and highly outraged. Many of people including this writer were aghast by the clumsy response to questions by government officials inclusive development that spun into consideration of whether people who voted en masse for Okowa can be treated the same as those who did not.
Curiously, during Governor Okowa’s last media chat some months ago, he made preference to speaking to National media over local and online media. Ever since, not a single media chat has his Communication managers arranged yet there are so much to talk about yet nothing is being told the ordinary people of Delta State who voted for him.
The best a critic gets from Okowa’s communication managers especially the online managers are further criticism and name calling . Indeed, the era that we are in calls for quality information management. It equally calls for serious policies on the part of government to address core challenges. More importantly the online managers of the government should always address the Online media practitioners Association of Nigeria, OMPAN, Delta Chapter with decorum. Lets not create more image management crisis for a governor that has his hands full of Covid – 19 pandemic. Internal security, Fulani herdsmen, increased militancy, Cultism , kidnapping and so on. A word is enough for the wise.