Nigerian Air Force says it will provide needed equipment and enabling environment for its Public Relations Directorate to perform efficiently and effectively.
Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, stated this while declaring open, the Directorate’s Annual Public Relations and Information Conference.
The 2017 Conference with the theme “Social Media in Modern Public Relations Practice” was aimed at re-strategizing and developing the capacity of information personnel to leverage on the use of social media to further project the image of the NAF.
The Chief of Air Staff acknowledged the unique role of the Directorate in projecting the image of the NAF, saying, “the Public Relations Specialty in the NAF is a more dynamic and active specialty that now plays a significant role in the day-to-day running of the NAF”.
While promising to consolidate on the efforts to build the capacity of NAF Public Relations and Information personnel, Air Marshal Abubakar said the NAF was now better positioned to project air power in an effective, efficient and timely manner towards meeting the nation’s security imperatives.
He urged the participants to utilize the advantages of the knowledge gained from the Conference to project the activities of the NAF via the social media.
In a welcome address, the Chief of Administration, Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Lawal Alao said the Conference was among series of activities to reposition the NAF into a highly disciplined and professional force by the current leadership. 
AVM Alao thanked the CAS for the support given to the Directorate to function effectively and urged the participants to learn more on how best to use the social media to the advantage of the NAF.
Earlier, the Director of Public Relations and Information (DOPRI), Air Commodore Olatokunbo Adesanya described public relations as a tool for creating value to generate awareness instead of creating awareness to generate value.
“You should never let anyone else tell your story because you are always the best positioned person to tell your own story. While still relying on the traditional media for information dissemination, the NAF strives to tell its own story via its social media platforms”, he said.
The keynote lecture, which was centred on the strategic usage of the various social media platforms to project the NAF activities, was delivered by Mr Wole Olaoye, a seasoned Public Relations practitioner.
The occasion also witnessed the launch of a booklet and posters on the fight against insurgency in the country.
