The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, says that capacity-building and equipping staff with skills are necessary ingredients for the realisation of the Commission’s resolve to make a difference in the development of the Niger Delta region.
Speaking while declaring open a two-day Capacity-Building Workshop for NDDC Corporate Affairs Department in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, the NDDC Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, stressed the importance of training and re-training in any organisation, noting that periodic update of knowledge was necessary to enhance the service delivery of the Commission.
Ogbuku, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Rev. Julius Oworibo, said that the NDDC management recognised the need for staff development and urged the participants to pay attention and take advantage of the training.
He stated: “The NDDC is making a difference and to help us achieve our mandate, we must work together as a team. This workshop will help us to build staff capacity and team bonding. Staff of the Headquarters and all state offices are here. It will expose our strength in the need to work together to achieve our common goal of making a difference.”
He declared: “The Corporate Affairs Department is key to the success of the NDDC as the image maker of the Commission and its brand manager.”
In his opening remarks, the NDDC Director Corporate Affairs, Dr. Ibitoye Abosede, stated that the need for continuous training could not be overstated. “It is important that as professionals in a public sector agency, we are up to date on global best practices in our business,” he said.
He said further: “The Corporate Affairs Department is in a new phase with an enlarged scope which makes it imperative to have this capacity building workshop. Today, the department is handling all the protocol functions of the NDDC, a task that requires proper training. Furthermore, the New Media, which was hitherto operating as an independent unit is now fully incorporated under the umbrella of the Corporate Affairs Department.”
In his presentation, entitled: “Imperatives of Internal Communications,” one of the resource persons, Dr. Chido Nwakanma, a Lecturer from the School of Media and Communication, Pan Africa University, Lekki, Lagos, stressed the importance of internal communications in any organisation.
He said: “Communication is the lifeblood of any organization and serves a wide range of critical purposes. It helps the employees and stakeholders understand the mission, vision and value of the organization. Internal Communication must be timely and consistent. An organization’s most important stakeholders is its employees.”
Earlier in his remarks, the Director of Clearpoint Communications Limited, Mr. Moffat Ekoriko, said that the idea of the workshop was conceived by Corporate Affairs to address the skills gap brought to bear by the engagement of new employees with different educational backgrounds.
He noted that the workshop would enhance the skill sets of the NDDC Corporate Affairs staff by equipping them with global best practices in Corporate Communications.
The two-day workshop examined issues concerning Event Management, Public and Political Communications, as well as Social Media and Content Creation.
