By Chris Suleiman, Abuja
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has
commended Nigerians for their resilience despite the tough times
occasioned by the economic recession, assuring that the government
remains focused on implementing realistic policies that will reverse
the trend.
The Minister stated this in Lagos on Monday in his keynote address at
the 4th Commonwealth Public Relations Congress.
“We are not unaware of the harsh effects of the recession on the
citizens. We share in their pains and we make no excuses as we
continue to work round the clock to ensure that this tough time is
quickly brought to an end. The good news is that the prognosis for a
quick end to the recession is encouraging.
“As the saying goes, the recession is a bend in the road, not the end
of the road. The challenge for us as a government is to turn the bend,
and we are doing just that,” he said.
Alhaji Mohammed said while the Buhari Administration rode to power on
the crest of change, there can be no change without
discomforts.
He however assured that with persistence on the part of the government
and perseverance on the part of the people, there is definitely light
at the end of the tunnel.
The Minister said the government is investing massively in
infrastructural development: roads, railways, power etc, and creating
jobs in the process, as part of efforts to pull the country out of
recession.
On job creation, he disclosed that 200,000 of the 500,000 jobs
promised under the N-Power Volunteers Programme have already been
filled, and that those selected will start work on 1 Dec. 2016.
Alhaji Mohammed also said the alternative funding of the Oil and Gas
Industry Joint Ventures, which has been approved by the Federal
Executive Council, will also impact positively on the economy.
”(This alternative funding) is set to increase the net Federal
Government revenue per annum by about $2 billion, lead to an increase
in national production from the current 2.2 million barrels per day to
2.5 mbpd by 2019, reduce Unit Technical Costs from $27.96/Barrel Oil
Equivalent (boe) to $18/boe and double the net payments to the
Federation Account, from about $7Billion to over $14Billion by 2020,” he said,
adding that the funding mechanism will also allow the JV business to
be self-funding, restore investor confidence; raise the prospects of higher
investment in growth activities by the partners and arrest production decline.
Speaking on the theme of the congress ‘’Strategic Management of
Reputation Risk in an Interdependent World,” Alhaji Mohammed outlined
some of the increasing challenges confronting Public Relations
Managers, especially the impact of the Social Media which has
democratized the means of gathering and disseminating information, and
urged participants to come up with innovative ways to surmount the
challenges.
“This theme could not have been more relevant. For those of us in the
business of managing government’s image, we hope the outcomes of your
deliberations will offer us a fresh perspective to better handle this
increasingly challenging task. I said increasingly challenging because
as we strive to project a positive image for the government
and keep the citizens informed of government activities, we are
constantly being forced to devise innovative ways to ensure a better,
two-way communication between the government and the people,” he
stated.
The Minister cited how some people took to the Social Media to publish
the false news that President Buhari donated $500 million for the
campaign of Hillary Clinton in the United States and said even though
the government swiftly debunked the report, the so-called analysts and
experts have continued to comment on it as if it is true.
Alhaji Mohammed said part of the strategies adopted by the government
to tackle such disinformation is the introduction of town hall
meetings, which afford the government the opportunity to communicate
its messages directly to the people and also get their feedback.
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