Kebbi State Governor, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu has urged Journalists in the country to refrain from any act capable of endangering national unity, just as they should work towards bolstering peace and security.
Bagudu gave the charge on Wednesday when he opened a one-day Capacity Building Workshop for information Officers of the State Ministry of Information and Culture on Contemporary Methodology of News Gathering and Reporting.
The Chairman of the APC Governors’ Forum said, ”As newsmen, your position in the society is prime, therefore, must refrain from any act capable of endangering national unity.”
Represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Babale Umar Yauri, Bagudu said : ”The Press, popularly known as the ‘fourth estate of the realm’ is saddled with statutory role and responsibilities of educating and enlightening people on Government policies and programmes.
” Therefore, the press is the mirror through which Government policies, actions and inactions are viewed, measured, monitored and evaluated.
”For this reason among many others, the press needs to be educated, enlightened and well trained for it to diligently carry out its responsibilities of informing and educating people about Government policies.
” This is what informed the decision of approving the staging of this capacity building workshop taking place.
”We are faced with Security, Economic and Political challenges, among others, bedeviling the nation. Of more serious concern, is the challenge to Security and National Unity.
” This calls for more concerted efforts by media practioners and all stakeholders to address these challenges.”
The governor therefore called on all members of the press, individually and collectively, at National and State levels, to put all hands on deck in reporting objectively the developmental objectives of the present administration towards solving the myriad of our State and National problems.
Bagudu said that the in-house capacity building is expected to sensitize and sharpen your practice, as well as update you on ethics of the job, (eg fairness, balance and discretion).
it would also acquaint them with the new methodology of information dissemination globally and locally in the state.
”At the end of the training, it is expected that participants will understand the pedagogy ways of educating, informing and entertaining the people of Kebbi state.
” They should also be able to appreciate the impact of their journalistic knowhow on reporting development; they should also learn and avoid libel, character defamation and slander against individuals.
”They will as well complement Government in fostering societal development rather than unwarranted criticisms and to see themselves as partners in the state architecture and development,” Bagudu, averred.
The State Commissioner of Information and Culture, Hajiya Rakiya Tanko Ayuba-Haruna said, ” it is always an inspiring experience to partake in an in-house interactive session of this nature especially, amidst the Information practitioners of the Ministry of Information and Culture, particularly in the new world order of information dissemination.
”Information dissemination is an act of informing, imparting new knowledge, notification or bringing awareness on issues, therefore, its operations need to be regulated and guided to open several gates towards a better society and humanity.
”In respect of the above, therefore, the issues of training and retraining must have to be considered in order to enable the practioners play their role appropriately without conflicting interest.”
She recalled that in July 2020 and April 2021, series of trainings for New Media practitioners, including those from the 21 Local government areas were conducted.
”This was an indication that the training of newsmen has been taken seriously by the present administration.
”Information officers play an important role in educating, informing and entertaining the society, this make it imperative for the state to make use of them in the dissemination and propagation of information.
”This is being done in a decent and responsible manner especially as regard to aspects of the state development and progress.
”This is what informed the state government to again sponsor this in-house interactive capacity building workshop with the view to inculcating professionalism in to the works and practice of our brothers and sisters in the department of Information of the Ministry of Information and Culture,” the Commissioner, added.
She commended the efforts of Gov. Abubakar Atiku Bagudu in actualising the capacity building workshop, ” Be rest assured, your Excellency, from our end, we shall not relent in propagating all your policy thrust towards the development of the State.”
The Commissioner was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Alhaji Garba Hamisu Zuru.
The Commissioner of land and Housing , Hon Mamuda Muhammad Warrah , Animal Health , Hon. Aminu Dandiga as well as that of Works and Transport, Hon. Abubakar Chika Ladan delivered goodwill messages at the event.
The event featured presentation of certificates and gifts to those who emerged winners in News Writing, Features Writing and Anchoring.
Murtala Gotomo emerged the overall winner in all the categories. Others who won awards were Muhammad Bello Suleiman, Isah Sani Gulma and Muktar Adamu Argungu.
A total of 45 Information officers took part in the capacity building program organised by Ministry of Information, Kebbi State.
