The Department of State Services (DSS) has established the Directorate of Public Relations and Strategic Communications (DPRSC) in an important step towards increasing engagement with citizens, strengthening democratic governance, and ensuring openness and accountability. Dr. Peter Nnochirionye Afunanya, a recognised expert with considerable experience, has been appointed as the Director to steer this critical project and manage the Service’s public communications.<\/p>\n
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According to a press statement from the Service, the appointment takes effect from September 26, 2023.<\/p>\n
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Dr. Afunanya brings to his new role a wealth of experience spanning over two decades. His expertise encompasses a diverse array of fields, including intelligence analysis, threat assessment, security administration, VIP protection, investigation, counterterrorism, open-source intelligence management, background checks, and security vetting. His proficiency extends to surveillance, security sector governance, democratic accountability in law enforcement, educational research, peace advocacy, alternative dispute resolution, development communication, interagency cooperation, joint operations, teaching, public and media relations, reputation management, strategic communication, protocol and diplomatic affairs, writing, public speaking, stakeholder engagement, and much more.<\/p>\n
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A holder of a Ph.D. in Security and Strategic Studies, awarded by Nasarawa State University, Keffi in 2019, Dr. Afunanya also possesses a Master’s degree in Peace and Strategic Studies from the University of Ilorin, Kwara State (2011) and a Master of Arts degree in English Language from the University of Uyo (2009). His academic journey began with a Second Class Upper Division in English Language from Abia State University, Uturu, in 1997. His dedication to excellence was recognized with accolades such as the President’s NYSC National Honours Award for Outstanding Performance (1998\/1999) during his service year in Edo State.<\/p>\n
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Having joined the DSS in 1999, Dr. Afunanya has honed his skills through various leadership and management courses, executive intelligence management programs, and specialized training in preventing and countering violent extremism. He has also attended international programs, including Innovation and Strategy at Harvard University (USA), Web investigation at City University (London), Security Management and Coordination at ARC London, International Conflict in the USA, and Counterterrorism and Strategic Communication in Switzerland. Within the DSS, he has held several significant positions, culminating in his role as Public Relations Officer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Department of State Services (DSS) has established the Directorate of Public Relations and Strategic Communications (DPRSC) in an important step towards increasing engagement with citizens, strengthening democratic governance, and ensuring openness and accountability. Dr. Peter Nnochirionye Afunanya, a recognised expert with considerable experience, has been appointed as the Director to steer this critical project […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2625,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[172],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2624","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2624","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2624"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2624\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2626,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2624\/revisions\/2626"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2625"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2624"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2624"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abujacityjournal.com\/livenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2624"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}