In reminiscence of the recent past, the state civil service was one-time moribund or not at its best, for a number of reasons. The sector had reportedly suffered serious neglect and systemic distrust - so frustrating that the statutory functions of many MDAs were said to be given out on contract, thereby turning many (workers) to floaters during the work hours. Information flowing that time, apparently in defence, was that the government employees fell short of some expectations – not handling the implementation of government's policies satisfactorily. This was attributed to their being lazy, incompetent and out of focus.

But to what extent were these "inefficient" mandarins equipped with updated knowledge, techniques and sharpen their prowess to meet up a standard is one big question that tends to catch the interest of the majority.

On assumption of office, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, rather than following suit, started injecting some tonics into the system to heighten the spirit of workers, who had not only lost dignity at work because of the condition of service but were also on the lookout for a game-changer.

Among the changes the present administration brought about include the restoration of the running costs for the MDAs; refurbishment of the various offices with modern equipment; cessation of a percentage-based payment of salaries; promotion of workers as and when due; recruitment of more personnel to strengthen manpower; approval of training; retraining to bridge efficiency gap in the Service; and implementation of the #30,000 new minimum wage; just to mention a few.

As we all know, press secretaries or information officers are a category of the workforce that occupies a vital position in any government that is conscious of public relations. As the mouthpiece of the government, they are duty-bound to effectively manage two-way communication between the government and the public. In other words, they have the mandate to keep the public abreast of the policies, programmes and scorecards of the government, and to always monitor feedback.

With a view to keeping them on the right track, the Office of the Head of Service in the state, in partnership with Triumph Corporate Limited organized a 2-day capacity building programme for the officers, between 12th and 13th of January, 2022, on a broad theme: "Strategic Communication Skills". Held at the state banquet hall Ilorin, the programme afforded the trainees an opportunity to be taken through some relevant courses, aimed at widening their knowledge about the nitty-gritty of strategic communication; news and feature writings; public perception and event management; handling of social media platforms; the etiquettes of the civil service; the ethics of journalism; and the policy thrust and activities of the state government.

Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq was the special guest of honour and who declared the workshop open.

Other prominent figures at the occasion were some cabinet members including the representative of the State Head of Service and Permanent Secretary, Establishments, Shuaib Boni Aliyu; erstwhile Commissioner for Communications (now at the Environment), Abosede Buraimoh; Director, state Information Services, Ayobami Akanbi; Director, Public Orientation, AbdulFatai Adeniyi Dan-Kazeem; and Director of Training in the Office of the Head of Service, Fatimoh Abolore Jimoh among others.

For the officers, 81 of them, who were drawn from different ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) where they are attached, the takeaways from the training cannot be quantified. Suffice to say that each of the resource persons, who are luminous in the media and communication industries, had done justice to their given topics of discussion.

The resource persons are: a communication wizard and Special Adviser to the Governor on Strategy Sa'adu Salau; his counterpart on Political Communication and a veteran journalist Bashir Adigun; Chief Press Secretary to the Governor Rafiu Ajakaye; senior lecturer at the University of Ilorin and Chairperson Nigeria Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) Kwara state chapter, Dr. Saudat Abdulbaki; General Manager Herald Newspaper, Yomi Adeboye; Director of Public Orientation state Ministry of Communication and seasoned broadcaster AbdulFatai Adeniyi Dan-Kazeem; former Editor Independent Newspaper (Saturday edition), Olumide Iyanda; and Mr. Akinwale Muse.

All in all, the emphasis some of the speakers laid on the need for these officers to work harder in satisfying the curiosity of the public vis-a-vis the report of activities of the state government was found catchy. Dr. Saudat Abdulbaki, in particular, charged participants to always be mindful of what perception (positive or negative) people would have when underserved informationally. According to her, perceptions are fueled by expectations, and if expectations are not met the public tends to have a negative perception of the government.

Governor AbdulRazaq, while justifying the approval of the workshop, said that the role of information managers particularly, information officers/press secretaries in all MDAs are critical to the success of government at all levels.

He noted that a government that does virtually everything without adequate information dissemination to the general public amounts to doing nothing.

"Let this be on record that there is no better time than now. You will agree with me that a government that does virtually everything without adequate information dissemination to the general public amounts to doing nothing. Simply because adequate information dissemination to the public bridges the gap between the reality on the ground and propaganda from the opponent side.

"The present administration's commitment to the social-economic and infrastructural development of Kwara state is boldly written in all 193 wards in the state. Therefore, we must put in place an adequate information system with all required logistics to ensure that the government's goodwill is communicated to all and sundry," the Governor said this through his deputy Kayode Alabi who represented him at the occasion.

State Head of Service, Mrs. Susan Dupe Oluwole who spoke through the Permanent Secretary, Establishment, Shuaib Boni Aliyu described the media as the most powerful entity on earth, urging the participants to be alive to their responsibilities.

She enjoined them to always imbibe the new ways of informing people of what they need to know about government programmes in the state.

Hon. Abosede Buraimoh, in her submission, acknowledged that the resource persons were top-notch professionals in the Communications and Public Relations industry whose wealth of experience in the fields would help enrich the performance of the trainees.

She said that the duties being performed by the information officers/press secretaries in the state are crucial, describing them as a link between the government and the public.

Chief Executive Officer, Triumph Corporate Ltd and media executive Oloriewe Raheem Adedoyin, in his introductory remarks, said the training became imperative to broaden the communication skills of the officers, who he said need such "an essential tool" to be able to discharge their duties efficiently.

While commending AbdulRazaq for his leadership style and how his administration gives priority attention to human capital development, Adedoyin enjoined the participants to translate what they acquired into good use in their respective offices.

Ayobami Akanbi, Director Information Services in the Communication Ministry, expressed gratitude to the present administration for deeming it fit to update the officers' knowledge and skills, noting such will enhance the communication system of the government.

Some of the participants who spoke at the event took turns to appreciate the government, the office of the Head of Service and the Triumph Corporate Ltd for the given opportunity, appealing to the administration to make it a continuous exercise.

Perhaps the beauty of it was the fact that the organizers sought to add value to the whole academic exercise, given the communique issued therefrom. The 14-point communique, drafted by the trio of Dr. Fatima Amuda (Chairperson), my humble self (Secretary) and Adekunle Adejoke as a member, basically solicits that the press officers should up their performance, and see themselves as active image managers, who will always attach importance to public perceptions and feedback.

It was also recommended that the information officers be henceforth seen as management staff in their respective offices, by which they will be carried along in the decision-making process. The need to provide them with modern communication gadgets was also stressed. This, the assembly agreed, will empower them to function well and compete favourably amid technological advancement. It was also suggested that the idea of engaging "Media Aides" by some heads of MDAs which negates the primary responsibility of the press secretaries be discontinued.

The icing on the cake was the declaration made by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Rafiu Ajakaye, to donate to press secretaries copies of a book, titled: "Good Writing Bad Writing," written by Professor Adedimeji Mahfouz, which he noted would further strengthen their writing skills.

Agboola is deputy Chief Press Secretary, Govt House Ilorin; writes via mashoodagboola@gmail.com