Public servants must urgently improve inter-agency collaboration through coordinated social media communication to strengthen citizen trust, drive public participation and boost civic engagement.
This core charge formed the highlight of a two-day workshop on social media management for Government Communication.
Organised by the Lagos State Ministry of Establishments and Training in collaboration with Northgate Consulting, the program successfully equipped 100 public affairs officers and media practitioners with global trends in information and crisis management to promote transparency across the state.
Facilitating a session on the dynamics of social media management, industry expert Philip Dosunmu enlightened Public Officers on the heavy responsibility of state communication. He warned Officials to publish only verified, accurate information and strictly avoid content that could incite public disorder.Dosunmu urged participants to utilize the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act as a protective tool in safeguarding crisis management and mediation. Emphasizing strict professional boundaries, he maintained that official state accounts must remain politically neutral and never be used to promote partisan politics.According to Dosunmu, every public affairs officer must be guided by three golden rules before publishing:Accuracy: Is the content fully fact-checked?Accessibility: Is the information easy for the public to find and understand?Appropriateness: Does it align directly with the core goals and mission statements of their respective ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs)?
He further cautioned agencies to embrace tight security controls, stressing that strict credentials management and firm staff exit protocols must be implemented to prevent official accounts from being hacked.
In his presentation on effective digital communication and government public relations, Programme Consultant, Victor Odunewu urged a mindset shift in state publicity. He encouraged participants to deeply understand their digital audience, choose the right channels, use accessible language, and deploy data-driven communication strategies.”We must shift from one-way information broadcasts to dynamic, two-way public dialogue,” Odunewu stated, noting that leveraging digital tools to gather real-time citizen feedback is the fastest way to build institutional trust and active civic participation.
Speaking on the impact of the Workshop, the Director of Training at the Ministry of Establishments and Training,Modupe Animashaun, confirmed that the 100 sponsored participants are now fully equipped to counter misinformation and disinformation using proactive digital communication strategies.Through the workshop, the state’s Public Affairs team will integrate critical components of digital governance, public sector branding and social media policy frameworks into their operational workflow.
Moving forward, the Trained Officers are expected to deploy data-driven storytelling and audience analytics to sustain a consistent digital presence, ultimately strengthening the institutional reputation of the Lagos State Government across all digital platforms
