CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1   Background of the Study
The term “Public Relations “was used for the first time in the United States and the United
States Post Office Railway Union and in the first decade of the twentieth century, this country was created the office of public relations at the institute. In 1906, the first private company which the public services offered to its customers was created. In 1987 Association of Public Relations (IPR) provides a definition of public relations, which is still used.
In this definition, PR is planned and continuous efforts to establish and maintain goodwill and understanding between an organization and its target audience (Skandari, 2004). Words "planning" and "continuous" show that goodwill and understanding itself does not obtained easily and in fact, must "create" and "maintain" and also determined that public relations activities are planned and the purpose of public relations is to create goodwill and understanding. In last definition of the IPR, PR is consider method that the organization use to maintain the credibility, products, services or staff with the aim of obtaining recognition and support. For public relations are also used other words and expressions: Public relations is vital artery and permanent and brain and engine of organization. Public relations are the art and social science of that link intra-and extra organization together. Public relations draw purpose, and how programs. Public relations are a trusted advisor of manager and all personnel; so it is essential that managers and employees can have cent per cent trust him. Public relations must see everything and everything also show beautiful. The present century are called the conquest of space, nuclear, computer, laser and ... but as interpretations index has been named the communications era that would be like a global village (Armour, 2006). Public relations can be bridge linking between people and organizations.
1.2   Statement of the problem
The image of any organization out to serve people is important for its growth. Organizations spend a lot of money restructuring and maintaining image to build and retain public trust. Image building by organizations cannot only be conducted through the media. A survey conducted by Boyd in 1986, showed that different people use different sources of information. Related to this is when the general public had no confidence in the local Judiciary in delivery justice. Many people, even those who have never had firsthand experience in the courts believed that the local courts could not deliver justice to victims. Now, The Lagos State Waste Management Agency (LAWMA) is a government of Lagos State body responsible for managing waste generated in Lagos state through a waste collection, transportation and disposal structure. LAWMA's goal is to improve the environment with the impact of achieving positive and significant change in living conditions regarding health and sanitation. However, this objective has never taken a positive and upward growth as Lagos has been continually rated as one of the top dirties states in Nigeria.
Premiumtimes.ng rated Lagos state as the third dirtiest state after Abia and Anambra. The Lagos State Waste Management Agency has continued to give a positive progress report on its activities yet this report seem not to go well with the public.  LAWMA should, therefore, develop an effective communication system to be able to narrow or remove the information gap between it and the public. The PR department in the LAWMA has failed to defend the LAWMA and tell them why it has been quiet on issues they are been accused of. The public affairs office is expected to communicate to the stakeholders and those affected, why some cases take too long to be decided. Had there been enough confidence in the LAWMA by the publics and other stakeholders, The Hague accusations and conflict facing some of LAWMA staffs would have been handled locally. It is the duty of the PR office to absolve the LAWMA from negative claims of corruption, incompetency, favoritism, asbseentism and indifference from the public that has tarnished its image and made the public lose trust in it.