GOVERNMENT NEEDS POLITICAL MARKETING TO ACHIEVE GOOD GOVERNANCE

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By Loveth Nwosu

Those in government at all levels have been charged to avoid over praising themselves through the government owned media in order not to introduce message clutter which may infuriate majority of the citizens.

Prof Ahamefula Anyanwu of the department of Marketing in the faculty of Business Administration, Imo State University Owerri, gave the charge while presenting the 9^th inaugural lecture, titled “Political Marketing As Instrument of Improved Governance in Nigeria”

Prof Anyanwu said that the politics of propaganda is rapidly going on in Nigeria, pointing out that citizens are no longer interested in mere promises rather they expect and want concrete evidences of democracy dividends.

The lecturer explained that political marketing is all about making an emotional connection with people and understanding what voters are looking for.

He urged political leaders to expose themselves to the principles of political marketing and by so doing, appreciate the need to focus every aspect of governance on meeting the needs of the citizens with a view to satisfying them. He added that marketing scholars and practitioners should consider the inclusion of “people” in affairs of government.

Prof Anyanwu further explained that in political marketing “Product” is the image of a candidate, hence the entire marketing process is designed to market the product.

He however said political leaders do attract criticism when promotion becomes cluttered in the sense that the continued repetition of achievements instead of getting the citizens attention repels them.

Prof Anyanwu lamented that political leaders should appreciate the difference between promotion of their activities and propaganda. He added that politicians should leave tangible things by way of infrastructural facilities which will serve as evidence of their good governance over their respective domains.