By Saheed Ibrahim

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I first heard the phrase ‘Public relations Uselesses” from a renowned Nigerian PR scholar, Dr Bisi Olawuyi of the University of Ibadan in a ‘PR Theories and Practice’ class and this phrase is apt to describe what is usually witnessed in Nigeria during elections, all in the name of ‘doing PR’.

It is no doubt that Public Relations is regarded as the most misconstrued, ‘mispractised’ and ‘bastardised’ profession in the world. In Nigeria, especially when elections come knocking, whatever you do is tagged PR.

For emphasis, Public Relations is based on truth, understanding, acceptance and mutual benefits. According to an Ethiopian scholar, Samson Mekonnen Hailu, PR refers to the management function that evaluates public attitudes, identifies the policies and procedures of an individual or organization with public interest, and executes a program of actions to earn public understanding and acceptance.

The definition of Public Relations, as agreed by the World Assembly of Public Relations Associations in Mexico City in August 1978, is “an art and science of analysing trends, predicting their consequences, counselling  organizational leaders and implementing planned programmes of actions that will benefit both the organisation’s and  public interest”.

The British Institute of Public Relations (BIPR) also defines PR as “the deliberate, planned, and sustained effort to establish and maintain mutual understanding between an organization (individual, government) and its publics”.

There cannot be understanding without mutual communication and trust and in the practice of PR, sustainability is key. These attributes of PR make different from advertising, sales promotion marketing promotion mix. But what is ‘PR  uselesses’?

Elections in Nigeria usually have several dimensions; from electoral violence, vote rigging, buying, assassination in person and character, among others. The period  PR plays a major role is the campaign period, usually some weeks to the election date.

Contestants must have employed some ‘PR gurus’ that will design and implement certain strategies for them as parts of tactics to triumph at the polls. This is when all the politicians suddenly become ‘grassroots men and women’.

The ‘uselesses’ in their PR strategies come out when they start doing things they don’t  do ordinarily. Some days ago, the pictures of Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Sanwo-Olu online, where he was making hair for a woman at a saloon. The picture is as hilarious as the look on his face while at it.

I just smiled to myself and muttered, election is at the corner. This is not new in the Nigerian political milieu and I wonder who the PR experts that recommended  such tactics.

Sanwo-Olu is not the first  hairdresser  Governor, Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers state  did  it in 2015 General elections campaign.

Eating  boiled or roasted corn  is a major signature that Nigerian politicians have adopted as a means  of associating themselves with the people. Before things went sour between  former Governor of  Edo state, Adams Oshiomole and the incumbent, Godwin Obaseki, they went round the state eating roasted corns on the road .

In 2014 during  Osun State gubernatorial election, Iyiola Omisore was spotted sticking his head out of the roof of a moving vehicle with two roasted corns. His countenance  said a lot; ‘this man is not used to this’.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) slammed Omisore for adopting the tactics of former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose.

Fayose had severally been pictured eating roasted corn,  ate  in a local cafeteria, bought  ponmo from the market, among other PR uselesses to show ‘he is a man of the people’.

In Imo State, Rochas Okorocha was pictured helping a woman to roast corn and at the same time carrying her baby. His body guards and supporters cheered him on while at that and you could see the ‘sheepish’ smile on his face. In 2016, he stopped at  another corn roaster shed  in Owerri to grab some.

In the words of a campaign manager of a popular candidate in the 2015 General elections, ‘this is to show that he share in the pains of his people.’

In 2019 Presidential election, which was keenly contested by the incumbent, President Muhammadu Buhari and one time Vice President of the country, Alhaji AtikuAbubakar, the First Lady, Aisha Buhari was showing frying Akara  and potatoes. Not for Buhari, but for a roadside seller just to help and show the ‘grassroots nature’ in her.

Another politician in the Eastern part of the country was eating  rice from a stainless plate while holding a sachet  water (popularly  called  pure water’.

These are few examples of PR uselesses adopted by politicians during elections and this is usually extrapolated to governance in the country. The question is, when was the last time these people are found on the street, except when election beckons?

The PR strategies adopted during election campaigns are usually based on deception and falsehood. Hence, governance in the country is enmeshed in corruption, selfish interest and lack of concern for the people.

As mentioned earlier, PR is based on sustainable efforts that lead to mutual benefits but these ‘PR uselesses’ are based on disguise.The definition by the Ethiopian scholar says it all – ‘PR is ‘the management function that evaluates public attitudes, identifies the policies and procedures of an individual or organization with public interest, and executes a program of actions to earn public understanding and acceptance’. Therefore, PR is premised on truth, understanding, acceptance and mutual benefits.