The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) is set to partner with the African Public Relations Association (APRA) in the training of NAF personnel in effective public relations and information management. This was disclosed yesterday, 30 July 2018, during a courtesy visit by the President of APRA, Mr Yomi Badejo-Okusanya, to the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, in his office at the Headquarters NAF, Abuja. While speaking during the visit, the APRA President stated that the Association was established to foster unity through interaction and exchange of ideas amongst public relations (PR) practitioners in Africa as a whole. He said APRA was strongly committed to selling ‘Positive Africa’ through the instrumentality of the PR profession.
Speaking further, Mr Badejo-Okusanya said APRA was glad that the current NAF leadership had not only made giant strides in the fight against the Boko Haram Terrorists and other security threats but had also professionally deployed various PR tools in disseminating information on its operations to the public, thereby projecting a positive image of the Service. He noted that this had further doused tension in the country while greatly contributing to the level of awareness and education of the public on the roles of the NAF and other security agencies. Speaking further, the APRA President stated that the Association was particularly interested in exposing NAF personnel, including non-PR officers, to the importance of PR as a strategic management tool.
In his response, the CAS lauded APRA for its role in helping to project a positive image of Africa. He noted that the NAF, being fully aware of the critical role that information management plays towards the success of modern military operations, had placed particular emphasis on accurate and timely dissemination of information. Air Marshal Abubakar, however, admitted that there was the need to further build the capacity of NAF PR and Information personnel while also exposing non-PR officers to appropriate training that would enable them perform their various roles more effectively. He therefore welcomed the offer of partnership from APRA and went further to express the readiness of the Service to leverage on the training opportunity to develop the capacity of NAF personnel for enhanced professional performance.
