….Advocates for prioritizing developmental projects to mitigate separatist agitations
Prof. Chamberlain Chinsom Egbulefu of Benson Idahosa University (BIU) has urged government at all levels to implement public relations strategies to foster peaceful coexistence among various ethnic groups in Nigeria.
Prof. Egbulefu made the call while delivering the 27th inaugural lecture of Benson Idahosa University titled “Potentials of Public Relations for Integration, Nation Building and Sustainable Development: The 3Rs of Nigeria in Perspective,” .
The don emphasized that prioritizing developmental projects would significantly diminish separatist agitations.
Egbulefu suggested that engaging opinion leaders and organizing town hall meetings could effectively address and reduce tensions within communities.
Prof. Egbulefu while adding that government should be fair in the appointments of individuals as public servants and ensure all the units comprising the Nigerian state have their representatives in governments and parliaments said
such commitments will reduce the number of agitations carried out by the separatists.
Egbulefu noted that public relations is not images of propaganda, firefighting approach, window dressing and images of misinformation but a two way communication aimed at creating mutual understanding in families, organisations and nations.
According to him, there is no gain saying that public relations strategic approaches when applied will enhance Nigeria’s integration process.
Prof. Egbulefu recommended that public relations should be employed in enhancing Nigeria’s integration because it is highly effective as it creates mutual understanding by changing hostility to sympathy, prejudice to acceptance, apathy to interest and ignorance to knowledge using two-way communication mechanism which is cardinal in obtaining feedback from publics.
He said,: “The Nigerian Institute of Public Relations should draw government’s attention to employ dialogue in handling Nigeria’s integration, nation building and sustainable development needs.
“To achieve the much desired Nigerian integration, government should include the youths, opinion leaders, women leaders, traditional rulers and religious leaders when organising dialogue for national integration rather than making it government officials’ issue based.
“That we should have a rethink and see the Nigerian Civil War as a domestic and family disagreement as echoed by General Gowon, If not non-Nigerians will always have their way in causing more divisions amongst us and become a united force against us, because “united we stand, divided we fall”.
