BY PATRICK MGBODO
Delta State Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu has urged information officers across the state to step up efforts in building wider goodwill for the state government.
This was at the core of his message while declaring open, a one-day media retreat for information officers, which was organised by the Ministry of Information in Asaba, today.
Noting this, the state’s spokesman reminded the information officers of their primary assignment in their respective Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), urging them to become more creative in discharging their responsibilities.
‘’At any given time, you must be in charge of the situation. You must help your bosses make informed decisions. Don’t be timid. You can make your suggestions with just a little whisper, a small note.
‘’But for you to be able to do that, you must also have the analytical skill. You should be able to analyse the situation, have the knowledge and know what to do.
‘’I have said it several times that, as public relations managers, we have only one function: to make friends for the organisations or managers that we represent. Nothing more. Anything that you are doing that doesn’t make friendship for either the ministry you represent or your principal means zero’’ he said.
Aniagwu charged the information managers to do everything they can to attract more goodwill to their respective offices (MDAs) through their conduct and actions.
He also urged them to deepen their relationships with other professionals in the media and forge partnerships rather than competitors, just as he stressed the need for information officers to become more flexible in an ever-evolving media landscape.
‘’In anything you are doing, if you are not able to add value, then you are not doing anything. What value are you putting on the table? It is that value that will make your bosses hold tight to you. Even if you are not liked in your office, your value will sustain you”.
Speaking on the theme of the seminar, “Leveraging Artificial Intelligence Tools In Information Delivery”, the commissioner urged the information officers to become more intentional with the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in becoming more efficient and effective in discharging their duties.
Earlier, the functioning Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Mr Harold Ojji, commended the commissioner for the workshop, which he said has exposed the information officers to the needed training to become more prolific.
During the seminar, resource persons delivered brilliant lectures on Minutes, Memorandum and other Administrative Processes by Balebo Akpoebi, Leveraging Artificial Intelligence Tools In Information Delivery by Cynthia Orife, and Newsroom Culture, News Writing and Reporting by Giovanni Emephia.
