By Eben Enasco
The redeployment of Christopher Nehikhare stands as a recovery process for Governor Godwin Obaseki who in his efforts to change his poor transmission systems, now rolled to a side to allow gravity to help his tongue flop forward.
The Governor’s decision to reshuffle his cabinet and place the right peg in the right crevice will allow the contents of his stomach to drain out, and this will keep the airway clear and allow the casualty, to keep breathing.
Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki only approved a cabinet reshuffle and rationalization of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, MDAs, in the state.
In a statement, Secretary to the State Government(SSG), Osarodion Ogie, said the governor approved the Executive Council on Wednesday.
He noted that the rationalization of the MDAs is a result of dwindling accruals from the Federation Account, which can no longer sustain the existing structure of the government.
In my assessment of the government’s views, it may not be for the supposed dwindling of accruals from the Federation Account which they claimed can no longer sustain the existing structure, but the undertone could be a litany of presentations of the government developmental agenda that lately hit a snag.
Suspectedly, the government would have been wounded by the poor presentation occasioned in the national telecast which was seen and rated extremely low by most observers. Since then, it has been topsy turvy for the government and the governed.
Not many will like this voyage of truth because those who were feeding fat from the earlier leprosy approach implored to salvage some of the good work the governor is doing will hate this position.
The truth is that many don’t have an idea of some of the good work the Governor has done in his time in office, which has been poorly managed by the set of people who are paid to do the job at the Ministry of Communication and Orientation.
Governor Godwin Obaseki has been underreported even though critical areas are still way behind the mark.
This is not to say there are no projects that a trumpeter in his cabinet should have done enough to bring before the public, instead, they ended up weeping up negative sentiments without clear direction on national televisions.
For democracy to operate effectively, the government must be heard in silence, to enable its moves to communicate with the citizens. The main goal of government communications is to engage citizens and other stints in processes implored.
We argue that an effective communication strategy is a two-way process that involves clear messages, and an attempt made to deliver top priorities of the dividends of democracy.
This approach requires active, strategic involvement of communications on several levels: establishing the principle and communicating measurable goals. Government communications are the essential lifeblood and the strategy for building attractive factors.
The business of government has changed dramatically in recent years and a lot of those assigned to disseminate the new modifications have been office woodpeckers who hardly leave the comfort of their Air Conditioner.
So it’s no surprise that the transformation of Governor Obaseki’s operations, coupled with an unprecedented rise in citizen expectations have created extraordinary demands on government and its communicators.
For Christopher Nehikhare who was redeployed to the Edo State Ministry of Communication and Orientation, it’s time to put resources together to have a decent coverage that will serve as a win-win for all.
As an ex-PDP Publicity Secretary in the state and a dedicated party man whose antecedents speak volume, I am very optimistic that Chris will raise the bar and discharge effectively in his new engagement.
Eben Enasco is the News Editor of Silverbird Communications in Benin
