"Anyone with a phone and data is a journalist"- Lai Mohammed

While Speaking at the annual conference and general meeting of the National Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) in Kwara state, Mohammed said the challenge of spokespersons have defied everything they may have been taught in school.

"There is no better occasion than this to examine the increasingly tough, and almost impossible, job of a public relations practitioner,” he said. 

“Tougher still is the task of the government perception manager, whether he or she is the minister of information, commissioner for information, spokespersons for the president or governor or for any government agency. 

“The challenges faced daily by the perception managers have been exacerbated by the social media. Today, the challenges have defied everything the practitioner may have been taught about perception management, public relations and all. 

“Today, anyone with a phone and data is a journalist, a blogger, owner of an online publication, an opinion moulder, etc. And they do all this simply because they can. No regulations, no sanctions. 

“The spokesperson is at their mercy. Regrettably, they have a fanatic followership in the largely uninformed masses, whose experience over the years has primed them not to trust government and public office holders. The masses are daily served incredible menu and unbelievable tales which they swallow hook, line and sinker.”

The Cable