By Miriam Humbe
Federal Government has charged communication managers across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to safeguard government’s documents by ensuring that correct and truthful information is conveyed in a manner that will not jeopardise the security of the country.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. George Akume, gave the charge at the One Day Capacity Building on the Role of the Official Secrets Acts in Maintaining Confidentiality and National Security organised by the Bureau of Public Service Reforms.
This was disclosed on Tuesday by Director, Information & Public Relations in the OSGF, Segun Imohiosen.
The capacity building was in collaboration with the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation in Abuja.
SGF, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, General Services Office in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation said that it was incumbent on communication managers to disseminate information that was correct and truthful and to also ensure official secrets were protected as doing otherwise would amount to felony.
Senator Akume said: “As you are aware, leaking of official secret act is a felony and there is no defence for such act either in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria or the Freedom of Information Act.
“This training underlies the importance Government places on the dissemination of correct and truthful information”.
The SGF said, the purpose of the training was to also improve strategic communication skills in the public service to ensure employees worked towards a common goal through clear direction and vision.
He added that government had made great strides in communicating its approved policies and programmes implementation with the public, with the conscious effort to complement with improved internal communication to inform and mobilise public servants.
The Director-General of Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), Dasuki Arabi said that the workshop was aimed at empowering communication managers on the critical roles they played in maintaining confidentiality and national security under the Official Secrets Act.
He Arabi said that it would also strengthen national unity through effective communication in public services and to leverage social media for effective governance in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The National President of Nigeria Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Dr. Ike Neliaku said that communication was very sensitive and as such must be churned out responsibly.
The National President of Nigeria Union of Journalists, Dr Christopher Isiguzo, said the training programme would offer a valuable opportunity to deepen understanding of the Official Secrets Acts and their application in daily work.
He further said that It would also provide a platform for learning best practices, sharing experiences, and discussing strategies for effectively managing information within the bounds of confidentiality and security.
