Assessment of Public Relations Strategies in Crisis Management During the 2020 #ENDSARS Protest and “Lekki Shooting” in Lagos, Nigeria

Public relations strategies are sacrosanct to crisis management. Governments often use public relations strategies to maintain peace in the society. The study assessed the perception of students of tertiary institutions in Lagos on the State Government's public relations strategies in managing the Lekki Shooting during the #ENDSARS protests in October 2020. Data were gathered using quantitative and qualitative research methods. Research instrument was administered on 353 students of four universities, while four key informants from the public sector were interviewed. Findings show that the public relations strategies deployed by Lagos State Government were Community Relations (Mean = 2.44), Media Relations (Mean = 2.43), Corporate Social Responsibility (Mean = 2.28) and Government Relations (Mean = 2.27) and they were found to be effective. However, Community Relations and Media Relations strategies were most effective. The study reveals that the strategic public relations efforts of State Government underestimated the power of digital media in stoking the embers of violence. Thus, there was loophole in the strategies adopted. The study therefore recommended that the Lagos State Government should integrate digital media in its public relations strategies and intensify its strategic community relations to build goodwill among the youths to forestall further crisis in future. The study also recommended that government should draw on the goodwill of the people to prevent future breakdown of law and order.