By Faith Anisiobi, The Sight News
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has charged its Public Relations Officers (PROs) to strengthen the Scheme’s strategic communication efforts to protect its corporate image and build public trust.
The NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, gave the charge in Abuja at the 2026 Public Relations, Media and Protocol Officers Workshop, themed: “NYSC Strategic Communication: Shaping Perception, Safeguarding Reputation, and Fostering Public Trust.”
Nafiu, who was represented by the Director, Community Development Services and Special Projects, Mr Chiwendu Chukwu, described the theme as timely and strategic, particularly amid the rapidly changing communication environment.
He said strategic communication went beyond publicity, noting that it involved deliberately informing, engaging, listening to and responding to stakeholders.
“Therefore, our communication must be accurate, timely, credible, consistent and responsive,” he said.
The NYSC DG described communication professionals as key custodians of the Scheme’s image and reputation, urging PROs to deepen their understanding of the NYSC mandate, anticipate public concerns, monitor emerging narratives and ensure that accurate information reached the appropriate audience through the right channels.
He also tasked the officers with strengthening their capacity in proactive communication, media monitoring, fact-checking and crisis communication.
Nafiu further encouraged the PROs to maximize the evolving digital space to highlight the contributions of the NYSC to national development.
In his welcome address, the Director, Media Department, Mr Emeka Mgbemena, urged the officers to remain vigilant in countering misinformation and misleading narratives about the Scheme, particularly on social media.
Mgbemena said the workshop was designed to equip information managers with the skills and knowledge required to deploy effective public relations strategies in their engagements with the media and other critical stakeholders.
He noted that the rise of digital media had brought challenges including misinformation, “junk journalism,” misuse of social media and under-reporting, while the high level of social media engagement among young Nigerians made effective communication increasingly important.
According to him, the challenges make it necessary for NYSC information managers to acquire the tools, skills and knowledge needed to effectively project the Scheme’s image through information presented to the public.
He also charged the officers to uphold high standards of professionalism in managing the reputation of the Scheme at the state secretariats and the NYSC National Directorate Headquarters.
“As officers entrusted with the task of managing the reputation of the Scheme at our respective States and the NDHQ, we must work with the highest degree of professionalism. We must be proactive and not reactive; we need to effectively tell our stories and guard against misinformation,” he said.
In a goodwill message, the President of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Dr Ike Neliaku, urged NYSC PROs to sustain best practices in corporate communication and deploy effective reputation management strategies to improve public perception of the Scheme.
Neliaku stressed that organisations were built deliberately through consistent efforts rather than by chance.
The workshop was attended by Public Relations, Media and Protocol Officers from the 36 state secretariats, the Federal Capital Territory and the NYSC National Directorate Headquarters in Abuja.
