Covid19 Vaccination: Can PR Help Nigerian Govt?
There are wild crises awaiting any govt backed or led Covid19 Vaccination in the world. Mention the word and see the reaction.
Nigeria is not expected to buy into another developing country's curative measures for popular and infamous reasons.
As with HIV, no Western country will censor a cure. So, poorly led Nigeria will not even consider a cure.
It means they will herd everyone to a compulsory vaccine, by the books of WHO and/or the West. That is the only destiny left for this pandemic.
Physical distancing is doing a good job, but reinfection remains a possibility. Ask Paulo Dybala.
Whether the vaccines are deadly or life-saving we do not know, cannot tell until millions have been vaccinated.
But this is where Public Relations professionals come in. Leaderships of countries should seek out the right hands in every unit of professional service needed for this war. And that includes the Communication sector.
They should be engaged to lead.
The strategy would look something like;
Research extensively and deeply into the science, politics and even business of Covid19 vaccines.
Gather as much information as the public needs, break them in piece-meal and head to the various media and human communities.
Conduct Q and A sessions. Select influencers based on credibility and suitability, not popularity.
Regarding influencers,
In Nigeria, for example, convincing ONE Pastor Chris Oyakhilome would be more beneficial than paying the combination of Tuface, Tiwa Savage, Wizkid, Davido and Burna Boy.
The earlier would require JUST transparency, the later would amount to waste of money.
Stay in the field for feedback. Measure the impact of strategy daily.
Then go enact a bill, empower the health sector.
Ensure they screen the vaccine bottles randomly for double checks. Then deploy!
There is no cure for Covid19 (according to WHO) but there is a cure for the crises awaiting any attempt to vaccinate everyone. And that cure is absolute transparency, nothing like 'need-to-know', the distasteful excuse our government media handlers give us privately for underreporting facts.
If they open up every secret, the public will largely be convinced.