The National Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), in collaboration with the Zamfara Local Government Service Commission, has trained 30 heads of information departments on modern dissemination techniques.

The workshop, with the theme ‘Managing Information Dissemination in Challenging Environments’, was also to expose the officers to the new approach to public relations matters.

Declaring the workshop open on Wednesday in Gusau, the state deputy governor, Mani Mummuni, commended NIPR for organising it.

Mr Mummuni, who was represented by the state head of service, Yakubu Haidara, said the workshop was expected to improve the skills of local government information officers in line with extant best practices.

“Today, we find ourselves in an environment where news travels faster than verification.

“The information officers serve multiple roles of messengers and guardians of truth as well as interpreters of government policies and missions,” he said.

According to him, the training is a strategy to reawaken and strengthen the ability to understand the dynamics of modern communication and propagating government programmes.

He further said that Governor Dauda Lawal’s administration would continue to collaborate with NIPR and other professional bodies in ensuring effective information dissemination in the state.

Earlier, the president of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Ike Neliaku, described the workshop as a welcome development.

Mr Neliaku, who was represented by Lawal Maradun, commended the organisers for their foresight to invest in a critical sector of information dissemination.

“We encourage all the participants to maximise the opportunity to deepen their understanding of strategic communication, crisis management, media relations, and community engagement,” Mr Neliaku said.

He, however, said the workshop was in line with the core functions of the NIPR, particularly in promoting professional development and setting benchmarks for public communication.

“All the participants are required to be sent to the institute for formal courses and induction,’’ Mr Neliaku said.

In his speech, the state commissioner for local government and chieftaincy affairs, Garba Yandi, assured NIPR of his ministry’s commitment to continued partnership with the institute to enhance the capacity of the information officers.

Mr Yandi also said that the ministry would ensure that information officers who met the requirement were registered with the institute.

Also speaking, the chairman of the NIPR chapter, Bello Abdullahi, said the training was aimed at providing basic training to the information officers with a view to improving their efficiency in their jobs.

(NAN)