House Media and Public Affairs Committee holds Agenda Setting Retreat

-Members commit to enhanced citizen engagement and promoting the mandate of the House as reliable and result-oriented

- Committee holds engagement with Public Relations Experts, Guild of Editors

The House of Representatives Committee on Media and Public Affairs has held its inaugural retreat to enhance the capacity of its Members towards undertaking effective citizen engagement.

Held in Victoria Island, Lagos, from Friday, 16th to Saturday, 17th February, 2024, the Agenda Setting Retreat was focused on its role in strengthening public perception about the Tenth House of Representatives and strategic imperatives for the Committee.

Chairman of the Committee, Rep. Akin Rotimi Jr., in delivering his remarks at the opening ceremony, highlighted how historic reputational deficits on the federal legislature breeds distrust among citizens. 

The House Spokesman stressed that the phenomenon continues to rob citizens of the benefits derived from working with the legislature towards achieving effective service delivery. This is as he expressed gratitude to Yiaga Africa and the European Union for their invaluable support towards the success of the retreat.

“The task before this Committee of brilliant minds is therefore, to manage communications for the Green Chamber, in a way that confronts historic reputational deficit, build an identity that enables us function optimally as legislators and ultimately get citizens to enjoy the dividends of democracy,” he noted.

With about eight sessions on strategies to fulfill the Committee’s mandate, various facilitators harped on the need for the Tenth House of Representatives to bridge the gap in public trust. The legislators were also urged to consider their ethical responsibilities in communicating with the public and utilise diverse media outlets accessible to citizens in their languages and locations.

Following the opening ceremony, sessions were held on: New Media as a Tool for Public Opinion Management, Ethical Considerations in Public Relations in a Political Context as well as Crisis Communication and Reputation Management in Nigeria’s Landscape.

Other sessions focused on Rebuilding trust in the Legislative Institution, Broadcast Media and its role in advancing citizens’ participation in the Legislature as well as the Dynamics of Perception and Reputation Management. A special session on the Strategic Imperatives of the Committee as well as highly interactive and strategic engagements with Members of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), and the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) also took place.

Facilitators at the retreat drawn from a multi-generational perspective include Yomi Badejo-Okusanya, Lanre Arogundade, Adesuwa Giwa-Osagie, Odaudu Nathaniel Abrahams, Lekan Olagunju, Dr. Akin Akingbulu, as well as Temidayo Taiwo-Sidiq and Iyanu Adebiyi on behalf of the Committee Secretariat.

Members further resolved to build a brand for the Tenth House of Representatives that will be acclaimed by the majority of Nigerians as reliable, responsive and result-oriented.

Signed:

Rep. Akin Rotimi Jr.
House Spokesman/Chairman, Committee on Media and Public Affairs,