Why local businesses must be protected with the right communication — Expert

A communications expert, and Chief Executive Officer of the TPT International Group, Mr Tokunbo Modupe, has stressed the importance of adopting the right communication in reporting activities of local businesses.

This, he explained, is needed to enhance public confidence in such businesses, and prevent them from going under as a result of scathing but unverified reports.

Modupe made the plea at the recent Rite Foods Academy Lecture, organised by Rite Foods, held in Ososa, Ogun State, over the weekend.

The TPT boss, who was one of the facilitators at the event, stated that local businesses represent the hope and prospects of the nation’s economy since they are always ready to go the whole hog, irrespective of the conditions of the nation’s business climate.

“This is unlike the Multinationals that are always ready to move at the slightest excuse, as being presently witnessed in the country.

“I believe the least we can, therefore, do to support them as media practitioners, is to ensure we get our communications right while reporting their activities,” he stated.

The TPT boss noted that the advent of the social media has further put those businesses under pressure; since most of the reports being churned out about them, especially from the social media,  are not always verified.

He explained that the aim of the training session was to equip the media with the opportunity to report from an informed position, regarding the activities of Rites Foods Business.

“For instance, we all had the opportunity of visiting the plants. And we can see the highly-automated state-of-the-art machines, functioning in those plants with very minimal human interference. So if somebody wakes up tomorrow to say a cockroach was found in one of the drinks, we will know how to handle such issue because we’ll be reporting from an informed position,” he added.

Also speaking at the event, the Head of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability, Mr. EkumaEze, explained that the training was one of the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, aimed at honing the reportorial skills of media practitioners in the country.

He stated that besides having its focus on enhancing its bottom line, the company is also committed to its sustainability agenda, aimed at ensuring that its activities have minimal negative impact on its operating environment.

One of the ways the company is walking the talk, he noted, is by ensuring that its power generation process is ‘completely green.’

“For instance, we are off the national greed, and what we use to power our operations are natural gas, and solar, thereby constituting no environmental nuisance to the community,” he stated.

Ekuma also attributed the inroad the company’s brands had made, few years after their introductions into the markets, to integrity, innovation, excellence and accountability.

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