· How Media Aides Sabotage Lagos Governor
Governor Akinwumi Ambode has the gift of presence. When he walks into a room, people sit up, straighten their ties, hold their breath in anticipation. And he dazzles them with his graceful command.
He enjoys the bequest of performance too, which often translates to rare excellence. The moment he set foot in the State House of the coastal city of Lagos, as Executive Governor and number one citizen of the state, Governor Ambode imbued his office with unprecedented nobility and passion for excellence.
This perhaps explains the palpable storm of accomplishments coursing through the Lagos State Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja, and every sphere of governance in the coastal city. But despite the governor’s penchant for performance and achievement of rare feats, he suffers the affliction of mediocre aides and underlings; his media team in particular betray unparalleled mediocrity and knack for underplaying the exploits of the hardworking governor.
There is no gainsaying Ambode is one of the most clear-headed, hardworking and resourceful governors in Nigeria. From Lagos’ entry point of Ojodu-Berger-Ikeja axis to the Ajah-Epe-Badagry far end of the state, there are unmistakable evidences of pragmatic leadership of the incumbent governor. But despite widespread evidences of Ambode’s excellent performance and future promise of good governance by his administration, there are still people who believe that his performance and achievements are overrated.
In fact, there is a chilling cacophony of voices attempting to smother the inspiring tenor of the governor’s performance. This chaotic and cynical drawl belongs to a group of critics who have made the social media their base and platform for disseminating their prejudices against the meritorious governor.
The lacklustre stewardship of the governor’s media team has not also helped matters. Unlike what was obtainable during 16-year tenure of Ambode’s two predecessors, Bola Tinubu and Babatunde Fashola, Ambode’s media team has not done justice to his hardwork.
It is arguably true that Ambode has recorded feats surpassing his two predecessors’ 16-year administration in his first three years in office; but despite the magnitude of his achievements, the contentious issue of waste management was allowed to taint his sterling service to the people. No thanks to his mediocre and clueless media team.
A pragmatic media team would be ahead with facts about concerted efforts been made by the government and stake-holders to tackle the situation, rather than allow uncomplimentary news about the crisis fester for so long in political and social circuits, to the detriment of Ambode’s administration.
It is essential for the team to know that giving larger share of patronage to government-owned and sympathizers-controlled media houses is a strategic flaw in a city where majority of residents turn in to private stations for unbiased informational contents. News literacy is still at a low point in our society; as such, it requires a media team who knows its onions to keep the citizens continuously informed of the principal’s efforts.
It will be recalled Babatunde Fashola had a creative and formidable media team that ensured nothing escaped the probing beam of the media, which projected his exploits to the public ceaselessly. In fact, his administration accorded engagement a prime place as he was mandated to render accounts of his stewardship at the intervals of 100 days to Lagosians.
While it is acknowledged that no two leaders are the same in style and disposition, Ambode’s media team need to take cognizance of what works, and infuse it into its strategy, particularly in a sophisticated enclave like Lagos.
Lagos residents are so engaged with different sorts of activities that their attention span is fleeting; constant engaging information about Ambode’s strides should be served to them ceaselessly, especially as 2019 draws near.
It’s about time Ambode’s media team stopped this disservice and upped its game.
