Zonal Coordinator in charge of Zone ‘A’ of the Nigeria Customs Service, Assistant Comptroller General of Customs (ACG), Victor Gbemudu has advised Public Relations Officers in the Zone to always guide against utterances that could dent the image of the Service.
Speaking on Wednesday at a meeting with PROs in the Zone, which held at the Zonal Headquarters in Harvey Road, Yaba Lagos, Gbemudu said the essence of the unit was that of image laundering, hence the need for them to be cautious with their utterances especially when dealing with the media, to avoid being quoted out of context.
“Always know the essence of your image so that people don’t quote you out of context especially journalists. They can just send a sensational story and when you read through it you will find out that that was not what you said initially. So please, be guided with your utterances and always remember you are at the front burner of the Service and anything you say can be taken against the Service,” he said.
He also advised them to always project the image of the Service well by keeping abreast of happenings in their various commands.
“The essence of PRO unit in the Service and other agencies is that of image laundering. You need to be abreast of happenings in your various areas of operation. This is a welcome development for you all to come together to synergize and brainstorm and when there are issues, they are resolved,” he said.
Speaking earlier, Public Relations Officer, PTML Area Command, Chief Superintendent of Customs (CSC) who spoke on behalf of the PROs told SHIPS & PORTS DAILY that the meeting was an initiative of the PROs in the Zone, who felt there was need to always improve on their performances in order to project effectively, the image of the Service.
He said the meeting was part of efforts aimed at ensuring effective PR unit and efficient information management.
“To have an effective PR unit, we the PROs in Zone ‘A’ decided to at least meet once in a month to share ideas and problems from our various commands; to chart a way forward and also to see how we can improve on our performances by way of projecting effectively the image of the Service, that is why we are here today,” he said.
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