Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State has called on Strategic Communication Professionals to fashion out modalities for inspiring Nigerians to demonstrate more sense of patriotism and appreciate government policies and programmes.

The Governor made the call while declaring open the 43 rd Annual General Meeting and Congress of the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria held at Le Meridien Ibom Hotel and Golf Resort, Uyo.

He said the theme of this year’s Congress, “Communication as a Tool for National Development”, is very apt in view of the perception of Nigeria within and in the global perspective as fantastically corrupt Nation.

Governor Emmanuel pointed out that the defining elements of every Organisation is measured in the chain of Communication and charged the practitioners to review the negative perception of articulating the positive values in the country’s cultural ethos, contribute to the promotion of government policies for the understanding of an ordinary citizen to engender easy mobilisation and support.

He said as Strategic Communication Professionals, they should utilise the mechanism of the mass media to ginger the enterprise spirit among Nigerians. This, in his explanation, informed the launching of Dakkada Philosophy to make every Akwa Ibom child to rise and explore his inert potentials to earn a living rather than beg for it.

The State Chief Executive therefore charged the Communication Experts to engage the youths on a new narrative with words that stimulate their emotional consciousness and mental psyche to partner government in it development efforts and thanked the organisation for the choice of Akwa Ibom for the Congress, calling on Communication Specialist to get involved in politics in order to clear up the murky waters with their intellectual skills.

Earlier, the President Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria, Mr Kelechi Nwosu, congratulated Governor Emmanuel for his initiation of the Dakkada Campaign geared towards re orientating the people to get them excel in their carrier and lauded his decision to consolidate on the existing framework of sustainable development put in place by precious administration.

Mr Nwosu said the Association which started in 1971 has been promoting strategic skills for Advertising and marketing of products as well as manage strategic Communication for government towards enhancing effective dissemination of information and that the choice of Akwa Ibom State for the 43rd Annual General Meeting was in view of the state’s contribution to the ideals of the organisation.

APCON Registrar, Alhaji Garba Bello, who represented the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said democracy thrives on communication and that without strategic information, the people funds it difficult to understand government policies and programmes.

Alhaji Bello congratulated the state for not violating the Political Advertising Law during the 2015 general election and emphasised the need for professionals to be involved in the management of the communication flow of every organisation for effective results.

The APCON Registrar pointed out that the law guiding operations of the organisation was being reviewed by the National Assembly and assured of a training programme for the younger generation of communication practitioners.

•Photo shows Governor Udom Emmanuel.

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