As President Bola Tinubu is set to swear in members of his cabinet that will run the affairs of the country, Industry stakeholders have begun to set the agenda for relevant ministries.
Also, IMC experts have started suggesting the qualities the new minister of information should possess, and actions that would help him succeed in his tenure.
In an exclusive chat with Brand Communicator, advertising guru, and Group CEO of SO&U, Mr. Udeme Ufot is advising any one President Tinubu would send to handle the information sector to dialogue with stakeholders, take time to understudy the Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) industry and appreciate its potential if the appointee wants to succeed.
In the words of Udeme Ufot, ”The new Minister needs to dialogue with the advertising industry and take time to understand the industry in order to appreciate its potential.
“With Nigeria’s ambition to optimise the potential of its Creative Economy towards exponentially growing its GDP and provide jobs for the teaming youth population, advertising is a low-hanging fruit through which the creative talents of Nigeria’s youth can be unleashed for high impact.
“The industry can significantly impact the Nigerian film, broadcast, and music industries, as well as explore the modelling careers of many young Nigerians. Beyond narrow industry impact, the country is in dire need of industrialisation to boost double-digit GDP growth desperately needed to turn around our economy. Advertising is a great enabler of high commerce that can help build brands that transcend Nigeria’s borders while boosting our industrial capacity”.
At different fora, communication practitioners have advised the minister for information should not be a government rubber stamp but should have the ability to carry the populace along on government programmes.
He or she should have the capacity to properly explain government policies to the people, receive public reactions and communicate the same to the government. This process, many analysts feel, will help set agenda for the government instead of government setting agenda for the people.
Many also feel the Ministry of Information, as the designated organ for organising and handling communication about Nigeria, should not operate in the “information” arena rather than in the sophisticated world of “communication”. While one deals with one-way dissemination or just speaking, the latter deals with listening as well as talking.
This means a change of nomenclature is vital for the ministry, as well as embarking on an extensive campaign to change the orientation of Nigerians