By Larry Mogbeyiteren
Chinenye Ezonfade
NIGERIA’S former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has called on the Public Relations practitioners to directly get involved in the making and shaping of products they would promote before the end users – the public.
Obasanjo popularly known as OBJ dropped the hint while receiving the Public Relations practitioners under the aegis of Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) at his famous Presidential Library complex at Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria after a week-long conference held in Abeokuta, weekend.
The conference had staff participants from the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, (DESOPADEC) in attendance.
Said he, “It does not make sense to just be confined to managing and positively projecting the image or reputation of an organisation or a country without doing much more. I would rather suggest that the public relations practitioner should be fully involved in the actual preparation and manufacture of the product.
“You are aware that certain products can be very bad and unsellable. So, how do you market such products to the public and indeed the world?
“You must therefore get fully involved at all stages so that the end result will be credible and remarkable,” he added .
The former President was responding to the briefing by the Team Leader, Mrs. Chinenye Ezonfade and Head of the Department of Community Development and Public Enlightenment on the essence of the conference at Abeokuta.
The brief outing was no doubt an eye opener, as the team had a photo session with the former President as well as went on a guided tour of the Presidential Library complex where some colleagues enjoyed a boat ride while some others visited the wildlife zone.
The team returned thereafter with a BOLDLY PUBLIC RELATIONS adrenalin to put sight and sound into active practice.
On the team were Mrs. Chinenye Ezonfade, Larry Mogbeyiteren, Esq; Mr. Boniface Nzesi Ossai, Mrs. Joyce Akpalikpo and Mrs. Francisca Okoro.
*Caption: Chief Obasanjo (third from left) in a group photograph with the Team
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