Prof. Rotimi Williams Olatunji
Advertising and Public Relations lecturer in the School of Communication, Lagos State University, (LASU), Prof. Rotimi Williams Olatunji, has revealed that the media rating of Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Lanre Fagbohun is on the high side.
Delivering the 63rd inaugural lecture of LASU, the world-rated Advertising and PR scholar, researcher and practitioner disclosed that Fagbohun had scored an impressive 98% positive media mention in his less than two-year tenure as the Vice-Chancellor so far.
Olatunji also congratulated Fagbohun for the divine grace of wisdom through which the humble Akesan Prince has been able to restore relative peace, sanity and the resultant impressively progressive positive recognition of the Lagos State University globally.
The inaugural lecturer who is current Dean, School of Communication and Chairman, LASU Radio 95.7 FM, delivered the varsity’s 63rd inaugural lecture titled: “Advertising, Advertainment and The Rest of Us” wherein he advised the federal government to pay more attention to the advertising industry with a view to developing it as a potential high revenue generating sector for the nation.
Commenting on government’s recent ban on shooting of Nigerian movies abroad, Olatunji, while supporting the ban on the ground that it would help conserve revenue in local currency and sustain employment, also cautioned that the government should, on a second thought, soften the new rule taking cognisance of the hardship that producers, crew and actors face in the hands of riff- raff who often besiege locations to attack, disrupt and forcefully extort exorbitant money from film makers who try to shoot and produce within.
The seasoned, all-round communication scholar and practitioner, however proffered a balancing equation to the issue by advising film and video shooters that through modern sophisticated communication gadgets, they could bring London, New York, Tokyo or any foreign location to Nigeria just by appropriate touches on the computer keyboard.
Prof. Olatunji is also of the school of thought that advertising, apart from its revenue generation potentials, is very strong tool of entertainment and, by extension, a tensions relieving dose in the face of daily hassles.
Meanwhile, he has enjoined his fellow professionals in the Advertising world to further desist from exposing innocent Nigerian children to advertising visuals that are considered obscene.
