The media Aide to Honourable Dr Sulaiman Yahaya Kwande law maker representing Jos north / Bassa federal constituency, has written exclusively about some of the roles in which a media aide need to play to ensure a successful communication between the electorate and their representative. According to him it’s all about PR. And not just politics Excapt:
Usama Jafar wrote :
The role of media aide in democratic system is crucial. It has do with PR. It is not only about politics, It is about image and image building, reputation, information dissemination and process of establishing and sustaining mutual and beneficial relationship between you, your principal and the general public.
For you to succesfully achieve this as an image maker you must always be rational, transperent, balance and support your information with evidence of report.
In addition, you must study the attitudes and values of the public concerned to be able to develop effective relationship between your principal and the electorate (public). Adopts persuasive devices to win people over to your boss, consequently mobilize media expertise to ensure that your boss is yearning to the aspiration and allegence to his office. The response is always win-win or win-loose but that shouldn’t discourage you from performing your duties.
Even though, I am not a professional PR practictioner but i learned most of this tactics from a professional freind and from day one of my first lecture as an undergraduate and post-graduate student in GSU and Bayero University, Kano respectively.
As an image maker, your aim always is to pass the message to your target audience and gain their acceptability. Its depends on how you relate with them and handles your principal assignment. This is the reason why it is important to take your time and respond to issues raised against your employer (Boss) step by step.
Just like within the week, I came across an open letter written by someone challenging the academic qualification of my principal Hon. Suleiman Yahaya Kwande. The issue which he (Kwande) clarified last year and publish it in one of the major Nigerian newspaper ‘Leadership’. In the report, he provide his admission number, his NYSC discharge number and other academic needful as contained in the tertiary educational acts as amended 2011.
For the sake of his constituents, friends and well wishers, It will be good to state categorically (again) his academic qualifications. Though he did not see himself as a better Rep than any of his colleagues whose academic qualifications might just be the barest minimum. It’s not nearly a factor in considering who has been or will be a better representative. But however, he has a duty to correct a mischievous profile of his resume.
In addition to his SSCE, He graduated from University of Jos in the year 1994. He read Bsc Political Science. He did his NYSC in Calabar, Cross River State between 1995 to1996. He equally worked with different public and private organisation including; Monitoring and Planning of Industries, 1999-2006, Family Economic Advancement Programme, FCT Abuja, where he served as planning officer, National Poverty Eradication Programme as an administrative officer 1 and was also saddled with the responsibility of managing a private football club “Mighty Jet” to boost the morale of his people in sports where he served as a chairman among others. And in case this needs some confirmation here is his NYSC Discarge Certificate Number: NYSC CR/JOS/95/19571.
Just like every job comes with challengies, it is not an exception here. It comes with daily insult, criticisms e.t.c, but you have to maintain calm, focus and polite because this is the job you signed up for.
My advice to follow media aide is keep on doing the right thing, no need to feel bad,
these are some of the things that may likely comes your way. Keep on working round the clock to see that your constituents are well informed about the affairs of their elected representatives.