The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said it is shameful and disturbing that a government with a full Ministry of Information and a litany of media aides could be paying a foreign firm to launder its image abroad.
PDP in a statement by the National Publicity Secretary Ini Emembong, stated that this is a indication that President Bola Tinubu does not have confidence in the Ministry of Information and his media aides.
The party noted that the Ministry of Information is manned by a seasoned professional led by a public relations expert who has in the last few years exhibited maturity and responsibility in the management of government information.
It demanded to know from the presidency, whether the contract was budgeted for in the 2025 budget, and why it was done through a private law firm and not the Federal Ministry of Justice.
The PDP demanded to know the duties of the information and public relations officers in the diplomatic missions abroad, as well as the key performance indicators for the contract.
It reminded the All Progressives Congress (APC) led federal government that no lobbying or strategic communication firm could create narratives that will replace the lived experiences of the people, in contemporary times, where the world is a global village.
“If the Tinubu administration is desirous of changing the perception of the country abroad, it should invest more in the security of lives and property, not in deceptive communication.
“The undeniable truth is that Nigerians have not felt this insecure, even during the civil war,” PDP said.
The party advised President Tinubu to be more interested in ensuring that all Nigerians, irrespective of religion, are safe and free to worship God in their chosen way, and that mass killings are reduced to the barest minimum.
“When these feats are achieved, Nigerians will reflect safety, and that will concomitantly dictate the global perception of Nigerians.
“Finally, we call on the president to reduce his administration’s appetite for easy public validation through ephemeral optics and rather concentrate on the hard task of providing sustainable solutions to the nation’s primary challenge – insecurity,” PDP added.
