By Luminous Jannamike

ABUJA — The Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, Brigadier General Olufemi Nafiu, has warned communication officers that silence or delayed responses to emerging issues could hand the narrative to speculators.

Speaking on Thursday in Abuja at the 2026 Combined Public Relations, Protocol and Media Officers’ Workshop, Nafiu said the speed at which information travels had made prompt, credible and coordinated communication critical to protecting the Scheme’s reputation.

“Silence or delayed communication can create an information vacuum, which others may fill with speculation,” he said

Nafiu, who spoke on the theme, ‘NYSC Strategic Communication: Shaping Perception, Safeguarding Reputation, and Fostering Public Trust,’ charged communication personnel to move beyond publicity to monitoring narratives, fact-checking information and responding proactively to emerging issues.

“Strategic communication goes beyond publicity. It involves informing, engaging, listening and responding in a deliberate and coordinated manner,” he said.

The DG also urged media officers to build continuous professional relationships with journalists instead of turning to the media only when the Scheme has an event to publicise or a crisis to manage.

“The media should not only hear from us when we have an event to publicise or a crisis to manage. Continuous engagement promotes mutual understanding and facilitates accurate reporting of the activities and achievements of the Scheme,” Nafiu said.

He charged Protocol Officers to uphold professionalism, courtesy, efficiency and dignity in every official interaction, while urging all communication personnel to see themselves as strategic managers of the NYSC’s reputation and public confidence.

According to him, the ultimate test of the Scheme’s communication is public trust, which must be built on consistency between its words and actions.

“Trust is earned when our actions consistently support our words,” Nafiu said.

He assured participants of Scheme’s support for initiatives to strengthen their professional capacity, urging them to translate the lessons from the workshop into improved performance.