The Role of Communication Audit in Organisational Effectiveness in Nigerian Public Organisations

This study examines the role of communication audit as a management tool in Nigerian public sector organisations, assessing the extent of audit practice, methodological approaches used, and the relationship between audit findings and organisational communication improvement. Communication audit, a systematic evaluation of an organisation's communication processes, channels, and outcomes, is a recognised management tool in advanced economies but remains underutilised in Nigerian public sector communication management. This study uses a qualitative methodology, conducting interviews with 24 senior communication officers, public relations directors, and organisational development specialists from Federal Government ministries, departments, and agencies in Abuja, Lagos, and Enugu. Cases where communication audits have been conducted are examined in depth through document review of audit reports and change management records. Findings reveal that formal communication audits are rare in Nigerian public organisations, with fewer than 12 percent of respondents reporting a systematic audit conducted in the past five years. Where audits are conducted, they are often externally commissioned during change management processes or crisis events rather than as routine management practice. Internal communication channels, particularly interdepartmental and staff communication, are consistently identified as the weakest communication dimension in audited organisations. The connection between audit recommendations and implemented change is weak, with most recommendations partially or wholly unimplemented. The study concludes that communication audit adoption in Nigerian public organisations is critically low and recommends mandatory biennial communication audits for all federal agencies with standardised reporting to the Office of the Head of Civil Service.

Keywords: communication audit, public organisations, Nigeria, organisational communication, management.