Poor Communication Undermines Government Policies, Warns Atoyebi

Weak and ineffective communication by political appointees was undermining the impact of government policies and widening the gap between performance and public perception, policy analyst Bamidele Atoyebi has said.

Atoyebi stressed that regardless of policy success or infrastructure development, failure to properly communicate achievements to citizens renders such efforts ineffective. He described the situation as a “massive communication vacuum,” warning that nearly 95 per cent of political appointees were falling short in both implementation and public engagement.

“Where marketing stops, sales stop,” he said, drawing a parallel between business principles and governance. “Government policies are like products. If they are not properly marketed, citizens remain unaware, and the impact is lost.”

Atoyebi, who is the convener of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Ideological Group (BAT-IG), National Coordinator of Accountability and Policy Monitoring and a publisher at Unfiltered Reporting, noted that while various levels of government—federal, state, and local—were implementing reforms and empowerment programmes, many of these efforts go unnoticed due to poor publicity.

According to him, even well-intentioned initiatives could fail if the target beneficiaries are oblivious of them.

“If a local government chairman provides loans to market women and farmers, but nobody hears about it, that policy has failed because the people are in the dark,” Atoyebi explained.

The analyst illustrated the communication gap with a personal encounter involving a Northern-based professional who questioned the government’s performance despite ongoing initiatives. He attributed such perceptions to a lack of deliberate and localised communication strategies, particularly in Northern Nigeria.

He further argued that cultural and political dynamics in the region contribute to the disconnect, noting that political support structures differ from those in the South. According to him, unmet expectations around leadership succession often weaken public trust and engagement, making effective communication even more critical.

“There is simply nobody breaking down complex policies into local languages and relatable contexts,” he said. “While the South benefits from social media visibility, the North faces a serious information gap, which is often filled with misinformation.”

Atoyebi criticised many appointees for what he described as “docility in communication,” accusing them of treating public achievements as private information. In an era dominated by digital information flow, he warned that silence is often interpreted as inactivity.

“If you don’t tell people what you have done, they will assume you have done nothing,” he said.

However, he acknowledged some government officials who have effectively combined policy execution with strategic communication. He cited the chairman of the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS), Zacch Adedeji, for simplifying tax reforms and improving public understanding of fiscal policies.

“He has demystified tax systems and made people see the value of their contributions,” Atoyebi said, adding that such efforts have improved public perception of tax administration.

He also pointed to Abia State governor, Alex Otti, Minister of Interior Tunji Ojo, and Minister of State for Finance Taiwo Oyedele as examples of leaders who have embraced proactive communication to shape public opinion and build trust.

“They didn’t wait for critics to define their narrative. They made their actions visible through consistent and transparent communication,” he noted.

Atoyebi revealed that attempts to document achievements of some political appointees were unsuccessful, as several could not provide verifiable records of their projects or initiatives.

“That silence speaks volumes,” he said, suggesting that in some cases, the communication gap may reflect deeper issues in policy execution.

He referenced comments by Kaduna State governor, Uba Sani, who recently observed that federal efforts in Northern Nigeria were not adequately publicised by appointees from the region.

“Tinubu is doing so much for the North, but there is no publicity,” Atoyebi quoted, describing the statement as a strong indictment of current communication strategies.

The analyst emphasised that government development efforts, including the establishment of regional development commissions across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, require sustained visibility to achieve their intended impact.

Using an analogy, he described governance as a coordinated system: “The federal government is the bulldozer clearing the path, the state is the tractor tilling the soil, and the local government is the mower refining the landscape. But none of these machines will be seen if the lights are off.”

He concluded that aggressive and continuous communication must become a core component of governance, not an afterthought.

“If Nigeria is to achieve meaningful development, communication must match action,” he said. “Because when communication stops, policy impact stops.”