I had meant to write a piece on the handling of government communication in the aftermath of the hunger protests that rocked many states in Nigeria in July-August this year. I never got around to it. However, the events of November 1, 2024 in an Abuja courtroom which saw the parading of some of the ‘protesters who were charged for treason, revived my interest. I had intended that it would be a short read, unfortunately, there was just so much to cover so it ended up being longer that the initial intention. I practically had to cut it off at some point.
According to a 2009 report of a roundtable organised by The George Washington University’s Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication, School of Media and Public Affairs (SMPA), with the support of The World Bank’s Communication for Governance and Accountability Program (CommGAP), on the contribution of government communication capacity to achieving good governance outcomes, there are three primary functions of government communication:
1. Informing,
2. Advocating/persuading (for policies and reforms), and
3. Engaging citizens.
It also insisted that “Communication represents an important function of government, responsible for improving three principal elements of government:
1. Effectiveness (building broad support and legitimacy for programs),
2. Responsiveness (knowing citizens needs and responding to them), and
3. Accountability (explaining government stewardship and providing mechanisms to hold governments accountable).
However, as watchers of government to people communication will argue, more than any other time, times of unrest, calamities or instability are the best times for political actors to truly shine. Myriad of strategic communication opportunities exist for government to alter the perception of citizens and the global community, and build broad support and legitimacy for government’s programs because the attention of all parties rivet to the political leadership. This is not something that you can everyday. No communication budget can buy you the kind of focused attention that you control in such moments.
Political leaders can use such moments to make tough but wisely thought-out decisions that demonstrate leadership and utilise the moment to unite the people behind a national cause using strategic messaging. Addressing the systemic issues that gave rise to the unrest with tact can win over even critics while allowing the government to identify any criminal dimensions to the situation that may exist.
They also provide the government with a narrative within which they can embed messaging that concern related activities, reforms and policies. The outcome of the unrest become conversation started and vehicles that can piggy-back other messages that government desires to pass. They become a strong thread that will be used to sew together government’s communication with its people.
Of course, being able to manage the situation adroitly using communication builds long-lasting public trust and enhances international credibility.
It is easy to see when communication is not strategically developed and deployed, Government would most times have to increase the weight of its hand to squeeze the unrest to death. As a result, public trust falls further in a fast-decaying downward spiral, and the disagreements lead to escalations that sometimes have violent dimensions.
The protests were supposedly a response to the hunger in the country that were directly attributed to the removal of fuel subsidies in 2023, the devaluation of the Naira and rising cost of living. In some states however, the protests went beyond advocating for an improvement in the economy through policy reviews to outright calls for regime change and invitations to external governments.
Prior to the protests, there was an attempt by the government to de-centralise efforts to manage the restiveness. Elected officials and government appointees were tasked with reaching out to their constituencies with the hope that the leverage they have, and the trust of the political base can be mobilised.
The strategy sought for a situation where the efforts of the multiple parts would produce a greater result that if the federal government attempted to control all the effort to manage stakeholders and the restive, hungry population. It was a good approach, and it would have been of even greater effect if while these have been done, the populace could see genuine empathy, transparency and a commitment to addressing the underlying issues.
Communication mistakes made
Several communication decisions were made during the protests which stole the opportunity to shine from government and especially during the controversy surrounding the arrest and charging of minors with treason:
1. Intimidation: Threats and intimidation were used against protesters, journalists, and critics, exacerbating tensions.
2. Lack of engagement and dismissiveness: Some government officials dismissed concerns, downplaying the severity of the situation. A good number of officials did not engage with critics, protesters, or concerned citizens online in the most productive ways.
3. Lack of empathy: Officials failed to show concern for the welfare of the minors involved. It is important to be concerned, and extremely important to show it.
4. The social media silence: A good number of key government officials were largely absent from social media, allowing misinformation to spread.
5. Messaging flaws: When communication happened, there was inconsistent messaging:
a. Approach to address key concerns: The government didn’t adequately address concerns about the treatment of minors and this would eventually come back to the fore on November 1.
b. Overemphasis on “national security”: The government prioritized messaging about national security over addressing concerns about human rights and due process.
c. Opaqueness: Government representatives did not provide enough clear information about the arrests, charges, and ages of those involved.
d. Delayed response: The government’s slow response allowed speculation and misinformation to spread.
e. Inconsistent narratives: Conflicting accounts of the arrests and charges created confusion.
f. Failure to apologize: No apologies were issued for the arrest and charging of minors.
g. Lack of accountability: No officials were held accountable for the mistakes.
Tips for consideration against future protests
So, there are a few tips to take into consideration for government officials tasked with coordinating communication before, during and after periods of unrest:
a. Your audiences: Map stakeholders. You have to know every single person you are supposed to be talking to, why you are talking to them, what you are to tell them, how you are to tell it, what their specific pain points are with regard to the issue and what they current pattern of behaviour is. You need to know who they listen to and why, you need to understand why their understanding of the situation and yours differ, and you need to know what mutual grounds exist upon which a path to de-escalation or gaining support can be built. You cannot approach a diverse audience with one tactic. In a nation like Nigeria with its many sub-divisions and fractures, believe me, you will fail.
b. Timeliness: Timely response is key. Answer the questions when the audience is looking for it. You can’t afford to provide an answer, in such a fluid situation after the audience has moved away from it. Their opinions would have been formed and possible, new actions have already been taken based on those opinions.
c. Acknowledge: Be empathetic and acknowledge the emotions of the dissatisfied groups. Always.
d. Clear communication: There should be no ambiguity about where government stands on the issues and a clear line of sight between what government is doing about the issues has to be constantly and effectively illustrated and communicated using the most effective formats and channels for all audience groups.
e. Voice of reason: Government cannot afford to be seen to be discomfited or lose its composure. In the midst of all the dissonance and the competing emotions and voices, government must be the voice of reason. Threatening language, bullying postures and measures to censure should not be publicly credited to official government communication.
f. Transparency: This is a very hard ask, however, this is one of the key ways government earn trust that will extend even beyond the moment of crisis. It also provides those who are either on the fence or on the side of government with information that can back their support for government. In trying to manage opposing voices, government should not weaken the capacity of its own support base. Government communicators should take the lead in sharing information. Share information about government actions, investigations, and policies.
g. Engagement: You cannot fight what you cannot see. Encourage meetings that will serve as dialogue platforms. In recent times, the tactic used by protesters has been to not have easily identifiable ‘faces’ presumably to make it more difficult for government to target such individuals. To be able to keep a handle on such situations now and in the future, early engagement with individuals and groups who are seen as having influence over large populations is key. When tensions begin to build, these can easily become the first points of contact government can have with aggrieved groups…even if they are not part of the coordinators of such movements.
h. Stay in the news: Government would need to stay in the media consistently during these periods and this includes social media. Here, I am not talking about the apologetic, paid support group platforms. You can’t be talking to yourself and expecting to change another person’s mind. The attention of the captive audience during these moments is critical. At the same time, government must give its own platforms to the representatives of aggrieved parties. Conveying tolerance and objectivity can lay the foundations for reciprocity. This can be part of a long-term approach to constructive engagements…a national dialogue mechanism.
These are just a few of my thoughts. While it is certain that government has people sitting on this task daily, a few of the thoughts here, if given more intentional and strategic attention can further help position government and its public facing officials with an even stronger response strategy for when (if) another such opportunity presents itself.