Public Affairs Communication and Government Accountability in South West Nigeria

This study examines the practice and effectiveness of public affairs communication by government agencies in South West Nigeria, assessing how state communication departments and information officers manage public information, engage stakeholders, and respond to accountability demands. Effective government communication is fundamental to democracy, public service delivery, and citizen trust in institutions. This study uses a mixed-method design combining structured questionnaires administered to 45 public information officers and spokespersons across Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Ondo, Ekiti, and Osun State government ministries and agencies, with content analysis of 90 official press releases, social media posts, and government websites. Evaluation criteria include clarity, accessibility, timeliness, responsiveness, and accountability framing. Key informant interviews with journalists who regularly cover government in the region supplement the dataset. Findings reveal significant variation in communication quality across states, with Lagos State government demonstrating the most systematic and proactive public communication approach. Freedom of information response rates are poor across all states, with only 22 percent of sampled FOI requests receiving responses within the 7-day statutory period. Social media government communication is largely promotional rather than responsive. Public information officers report structural barriers including political interference, budget limitations, and absence of formal government communication standards. The study concludes that public affairs communication in South West Nigeria requires institutional reform to fulfil its accountability function. It recommends development of a regional government communication standard, FOI enforcement, and professional certification for public information officers.

Keywords: public affairs communication, government accountability, South West Nigeria, transparency, public information.