… Tasks Staff on Effective Service Delivery in 2024
By Chukwuanugo Ibeto
It was all excitement, pomp, and pageantry as the Management Team of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) relocated to the Directorate of Public Relations (DPR) to grace the Directorate’s In-house Training/Refreshers Course.
The Training which was an initiative of the leadership of DPR was put together in a bid to reposition staff of the Directorate, and keep them abreast with emerging trends in the practice of Public Relations vis-a-vis effective service delivery in the University.
The Training had its date strategically chosen at the beginning of the year, and was organised with a view to re-equipping, re-tooling, re-engineering, and re-positioning staff members of the Directorate for greater service delivery to the University in 2024.
The Training which saw the Management of the University relocating to the DPR had in attendance the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Babatunde Kehinde; the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic, Prof. Olukayode Akinyemi; the Acting Registrar, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Dawodu; and the University Librarian, Dr. Abayomi Owolabi who served as the Chairman of the occasion.
In his remarks, the Vice-Chancellor commended the leadership of the Directorate for organising the training which he described as epoch making and timely.
He charged all the staff of the Directorate to take advantage of the knowledge which would be made available in the course of the training to enable them to contribute their quota in the advancement of the University.
Prof. Kehinde noted that training of staff constituted an integral component of his Policy Document as Vice-Chancellor, assuring that the current administration under his leadership would continue to provide support in that regard.
He, therefore, urged the staff to see the training as an opportunity for personal development.
The University Librarian who doubled as the Chairman of the occasion extolled the pivotal role the DPR has been playing in the advancement of the University, describing them as ‘everything’ to the University in the areas of information dissemination, image making, and other external interactions.
He expressed optimism that the training would serve as a veritable platform for staff of the Directorate to be effectively positioned for greater service delivery.
Earlier in his Welcome Address, the Acting Head, DPR, Mr. Olasunkanmi Olajide noted that the training was crafted to offer valuable insights, foster collaborations, and refresh staff knowledge in the dynamic field of Public Relations.
He encouraged participants to seize the opportunity to grow both individually and as a cohesive team, noting that the training was an inaugural occurrence in the history of the Directorate.
The Acting Head expressed optimism that it would be an annual tradition complemented by periodic training sessions.
The Training featured presentations from the Acting Director, Information and Communication Technology Resource Centre (ICTREC), Mr. Temitope Soretire titled, “Posting News on FUNAAB Web: Why You Should be Involved as a PR Staff”; the Assistant Director, Protocol & Passages, Mr. Emeka Oluka who spoke on “Getting Used to Major Acronyms in FUNAAB/Anchoring in FUNAAB”; the Assistant Chief Data Analyst also from ICTREC, Mr. Seyi Babarinde discussed “The Advantages of Social Media in Information Dissemination.”
The highpoint of the training session was the presentation of a Lecture titled ‘Public Speaking: A Vital Tool for PR Staff’ which was delivered by Mr. Ayodeji Rasaki, a fast rising professional in the field of public speaking, and who incidentally was an intern at the Directorate of Public Relations in 2011.
In his presentation, Mr. Rasaki paid glowing tributes to the leadership of the Directorate and intimated participants on a practical guide to the practice of public speaking.
Such steps as outlined in his lecture ranged from exhibition of confidence in gaining control of the audience and communicating in a plain and simple language, which he described as the most effective tool of any good communicator.
In sustaining the tradition of FUNAAB, memorabilia of the University was presented to Mr. Rasaki who was described as ‘a goodwill Ambassador’ of the University.
The curtains fell on the Refreshers Course which was described by attendees as insightful, impactful and enlightening with the presentation of Certificates of Attendance to participants on behalf of the Acting Registrar, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Dawodu by Mr. Bolaji Balogun, a Principal Assistant Registrar in the Office of the Registrar.
