THE MAN: SIR CHARLES UDOH

Major qualities of a good public relations officer are writing and speaking skills. Such an officer must be eloquent and a good speaker; beautiful writer incorporating mind-storming words to provoke the attention of the media and masses. He has to prepare his or her press releases, pitching mail, teasing mail, business mail in a manner that stands out the quality and purpose of the business. Sir Charles Udoh is a composite of all these skills and values.

The expectations have always been, and still is, that any organisation or government spokesperson must have highest quality output and level of integrity, should be intuitive, influential and one who works hard to easily gain the people’s confidence. He must be very precise and expressive. He should have a way of easily bringing up important points of every message or communication very briefly and clearly both in verbal and in written manners.

Being a good communicator is a treasure for any Public Relations person who must be also be bold. This is the reason we refer to Sir Charles Udoh as “the man of the moment”.

Apart from these qualities, Public Relations professionals should have good feelings for humanity. Charlie as he is fondly called, is one man who can never politicize humanity.

Having understood how dangerous Covid-19 spreads, He proposed that Journalists be allowed to work from home. This was in a bid to ensure that all Media Practitioners in the State are safe, but few people did not understand. Some people went on air, social media to ignorantly criticize the proposal. Few days later, a Press Statement was released by the National body of the NUJ, instructing all Journalists to work from home because one of her members was tested positive to the virus. The criticism ceased abruptly, this event proved that Sir Charles Udoh is one man who sees beyond politics.

Sir Charles Udoh has become the most wanted on the list by the detractors and enemies of the State. This isn’t because he’s not eloquent, eligible or flexible enough, but because at all times and against all odds, he’s always at the top of his job, protecting the image of the State government. They now see him as a threat to their ill conceived intent.

The naysayers are of the opinion that His Excellency the governor has underperformed with no achievement to show forth. Sir Charles being a strategist came up with the completion agenda series Discover Akwa Ibom which was aired throughout June last year to March this year. Along the line, he had to pause because the world at large needed all hands on deck to defeat the uncommon enemy, corona virus disease. But within those few months, people who refused to see the good side of the Udom Emmanuel-led administration were left with no option but to believe that indeed Udom is working. With these, Sir Charles Udoh is making the work more tedious and entirely unfruitful for the naysayers.

There’s absolutely no way this would have been achieved without the coordination of the Government’s Media Team. Pundits even outside the shores of Nigeria have stated occasionally that this is actually the best ever. How Sir Charles Udoh is achieving this has become nothing but a mystery to flesh and blood.