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Public Relations and Consensus Building

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Submitted By yusufmuazu
Words 6256
Pages 26
UNIVERSITY OF MAIDUGURI

DEPARTMENT OF MASS COMMUNICATION

PUBLIC RELATIONS AND CONSENSUS BUILDING: An Appraisal of the Public Communication Programmes for the Nigerian Downstream Petroleum Sector Reforms – 2000 to 2010

BY

YUSUF MU’AZU
I.D. NO. PGA/09/06230

Being a Non-Thesis Based Seminar presented to the Department of Mass Communication in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D)

December, 2010.

ABSTRACT

This study seeks an understanding of the role of public relations in building consensus on reforms and engendering public acceptance of government policies. The study attempts to achieve this through an assessment of the public communication programmes for the Nigerian downstream petroleum sector reform being executed by the Federal Government. The study established that there is a nexus between public relations, consensus building and reform success, as demonstrated in a number of countries that have had successful reforms. In the case of Nigerian, the study revealed that absence of strategic communication in the design and implementation of reforms has occasioned poor understanding of some of the reforms leading to lack of consensus and eventual failure of the reforms. The study recommends an effective communication programming for the deregulation of the Nigerian downstream oil sector, which must be based on sound opinion research and analysis, coordinated across Ministries and relevant Agencies, and integrated with government’s overall planning of economic reform programmes.

Introduction

The purpose of this study is to seek an understanding of the role of public relations in building consensus on reforms and engendering public acceptance of government policies. The study intends to achieve this through an assessment of the public

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