The Director General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, has charged Public Relations Officers (PROs) of the Scheme to strengthen strategic communication and reputation management to sustain public confidence in the organisation.
Nafiu gave the charge in Abuja while addressing the 2026 Public Relations, Media and Protocol Officers Workshop with the theme, “NYSC Strategic Communication: Shaping Perception, Safeguarding Reputation, and Fostering Public Trust.”
The Director General, who was represented by the Director, Community Development Services and Special Projects, Mr Chiwendu Chukwu, described the theme as timely and strategic, particularly against the backdrop of rapid changes in the communication environment.
He stressed that 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.
Nafiu described communication professionals as important custodians of the image and reputation of the NYSC, urging the officers to deepen their understanding of the Scheme’s mandate and anticipate public concerns.
He tasked them with monitoring emerging narratives and ensuring that accurate information reached the right audience through the appropriate channel and at the right time.
The DG also urged the PROs to strengthen their capacity in proactive communication, media monitoring, fact-checking and crisis communication.
He further encouraged them to exploit the evolving digital space to showcase the contributions of the NYSC to national development.
Counter Misinformation, NYSC Tells PROs
In his welcome address, the Director, Media Department, Mr Emeka Mgbemena, urged the officers to remain vigilant in countering misinformation and misleading narratives targeting 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 rapid evolution of digital media had brought challenges including misinformation, “junk journalism,” misuse of social media and under-reporting, while young Nigerians remained highly active on various social media platforms.
“This trend has made it expedient to equip ourselves with the requisite tools, skills and knowledge needed to effectively boost the Scheme’s image through what we package for public consumption,” he said.
Mgbemena urged the officers to maintain the highest standards of professionalism in managing the reputation of the NYSC at the state secretariats and 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.
Also speaking, 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, urging the officers to remain committed to professional communication standards.
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.
