Poor communication undermines government policies, warns Atoyebi
Policy analyst Bamidele Atoyebi has said weak and ineffective communication by political appointees is undermining the impact of government policies and widening the gap between actual performance and public perception.
Policy analyst Bamidele Atoyebi has said weak and ineffective communication by political appointees is undermining the impact of government policies and widening the gap between actual performance and public perception.
Atoyebi argued that failure to communicate achievements to citizens effectively diminishes the value of policy success or infrastructure development, describing the situation as a “communication vacuum.”
He noted that a significant number of political appointees are falling short in both implementation and public engagement, stressing that governance requires deliberate communication strategies.
“Government policies are like products. If they are not properly communicated, citizens remain unaware, and the intended impact is lost,” he said.
According to him, although governments at the federal, state, and local levels are implementing reforms and empowerment initiatives, many of these efforts go largely unnoticed due to inadequate publicity.
He added that even well-designed programmes may fail to achieve their objectives if beneficiaries are not properly informed.
Advertisement
300x250
Atoyebi cited instances where initiatives such as financial support for small-scale traders and farmers receive little attention due to poor dissemination of information, thereby limiting their effectiveness.
He also highlighted regional communication gaps, particularly in Northern Nigeria, noting that cultural and political dynamics require more tailored and localised engagement strategies.
The analyst emphasised that bridging the disconnect between governance and public awareness is critical to building trust and ensuring that policy outcomes are fully realised.
“There is simply nobody breaking down complex policies into local languages and relatable contexts,” he said. “While the South benefits from social media visibility, the North faces a serious information gap, which is often filled with misinformation.”
Atoyebi criticised many appointees for what he described as “docility in communication,” accusing them of treating public achievements as private information. In an era dominated by digital information flow, he warned that silence is often interpreted as inactivity.
“If you don’t tell people what you have done, they will assume you have done nothing,” he said.
However, he acknowledged some government officials who have effectively combined policy execution with strategic communication. He cited the Chairman of the Nigeria Revenue Service, Zacch Adedeji, for simplifying tax reforms and improving public understanding of fiscal policies.
“He has demystified tax systems and made people see the value of their contributions,” Atoyebi said, adding that such efforts have improved public perception of tax administration.
Advertisement
300x250
He also pointed to Abia State Governor Alex Otti, Minister of Interior Tunji Ojo, and Minister of Finance Taiwo Oyedele as examples of leaders who have embraced proactive communication to shape public opinion and build trust.
“They didn’t wait for critics to define their narrative. They made their actions visible through consistent and transparent communication,” he noted.
Atoyebi revealed that attempts to document the achievements of some political appointees were unsuccessful, as several could not provide verifiable records of their projects or initiatives.
“That silence speaks volumes,” he said, suggesting that in some cases, the communication gap may reflect deeper issues in policy execution.
He referenced comments by Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, who recently observed that federal efforts in Northern Nigeria are not adequately publicized by appointees from the region.
Advertisement
300x250
“Tinubu is doing so much for the North, but there is no publicity,” Atoyebi quoted, describing the statement as a strong indictment of current communication strategies.
The analyst emphasized that government development efforts, including the establishment of regional development commissions across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, require sustained visibility to achieve their intended impact.
Using an analogy, he described governance as a coordinated system: “The federal government is the bulldozer clearing the path, the state is the tractor tilling the soil, and the local government is the mower refining the landscape. But none of these machines will be seen if the lights are off.”
He concluded that aggressive and continuous communication must become a core component of governance, not an afterthought.
“If Nigeria is to achieve meaningful development, communication must match action,” he said. “Because when communication stops, policy impact stops.”
Bamidele Atoyebi is the convener of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Ideological Group (BAT-IG), the National Coordinator of Accountability and Policy Monitoring, and a publisher at Unfiltered Reporting.
