PUBLIC RELATIONS, PEACE AND CONFLICT MANAGEMENT IN NIGERIA: AN ASSESSMENT OF NORTH-EAST NIGERIA

The onslaught of banditry has devastated North-Eastern parts of Nigeria which implies peace and security eluding the region and the country at large, unless some other actions are pursued as alternative means of attaining sustainable tranquillity in the country. To this end, this paper explored the application of principles and techniques of public relations as method of achieving attitudinal transformation for winning the terrorists. The process involves professional practices which will subtly and surely revise the violent disposition of the terrorists through the use of communication. Descriptive analysis was applied encompassing review of literature, theoretical framework and recommendations which include government’s use of professional public relations practitioners and consultants; training and retraining of media and communication practitioners on global best practices of coverage of national security issues, and preparedness with reliable strategic action plans for effective management of future crisis situations like the banditry in North-West and insurgency in the North-East Nigeria.