Deploy PR Strategies to Tackle Flooding, Experts Urge Lagos Govt
Public Relations experts have called on the Lagos State Government to adopt PR tools to tackle flooding, a recurring phenomenon in the state.
They suggested steps to be taken to address the issue rather than shying away or resort to blame game.
Lagos, a coastal city with over 21 million inhabitants, has suffered reoccurrance floods that ravaged many parts of the urban centers, where a large number of houses were submerged and residents trapped in their homes by rising flood water.
The session was hosted through TSIC social media platform, an online gathering for PR & Marketing Communication experts and Scholars in Nigeria.
The moderator, Irantiola Olutayo a PR Practitioner averred that despite government efforts to construct drainages and advice against indiscriminate dumping of refuses by residents has continued to be certain during heavy rainfall.
The issue was debated among PR Practitioners and Communication Scholars, over who is responsible to find long -term solution to this recurrent problem.
Meanwhile, a group of experts blamed the footstep of Lagos state government for not doing enough in the area of effective use of PR for public communication and communication for development while others condemed the resident for indiscriminate dumping of refuse in drainage channels.
Adeyemi-Adejolu, a contributor stressed
that LASG is yet to mitigating the flooding using the PR tools and Professionals available.This depends on government will power to access the PR marketplace to utilize the Professionals in government advocacy program to address the issues around the perennial flooding.
Olatokunbo Ekundayo another contributor, contextualise the meaning of PR as a delibrately building and maintaining relationships, then it can be rightly said that PR can be applied strategically to map out the various stakeholders in an attempt to combat perennial flooding in Lagos environment.
“The main objective is to get the various stakeholders to own the project of combating flood in their environment by getting their commitment and involvement in the actualisation of the project”. he said.
In her contribution, Eniola Mayowa also a contributor, narrates how government institutions can ameliorate this issue through creation of PR campaign that celebrates effective waste disposal devoid of drainage blockages, educative programmes to enlightening the residents on the danger in obstructing drainage channels in different local languages.
“Engage identified stakeholders in mostly affected or flood prone areas with a periodic assessment to raise concern where infraction is spotted”. She said.
Eniola emphasized that Janitors for government agencies should be trained on proper waste disposal, involve victims of flooding to champion the campaign against flooding in different locations like schools, market and relevant bodies, with the use of all PR efforts ahead of the raining season. She added.