Gov Okowa Has Recorded Giant Strides In Infrastructure, Human Capital Development, Social Amenities –Newspaper Publishers

By Daniel Dafe

Publishers of community newspapers in Delta State have commended Governor Ifeanyi Okowa for his commitment in moving the state forward, saying his administration “has recorded giant strides in the areas of infrastructure, human capital development, social amenities and especially, the recently commissioned Prof. Chike Edozien Secretariat.”

The media proprietors said this in a communiqué released at the end of a two-day community media workshop organized by the Offices of the Special Assistants to the Governor on Community Newspapers.

In the communiqué signed by Ms. Mercy Akugba, Secretary, ACNPN
(Publisher, Crusaders Voice Newspaper), Mr. Femi Odonmeta, Independent Publisher (Warri Voice Newspaper), Mr. Nnamdi Odiwe, Treasurer, ACNPN
(Publisher, Asaba Quays Magazine) and Comr. Patrick Ochei, Chairman, Communiqué Drafting Committee (Publisher, Anioma Trust Newspaper), they equally commended the Okowa administration “for bringing out the territorial beauty of the city of Asaba through the proactive and firm execution of the Stronger Delta Agenda by the Delta State Capital Territory Development Agency.”

Furthermore, the said publishers also appreciated the Governor of Delta State “for his impeccable policy on trainings for which the publishers of community newspapers under the aegis of Association of Community Newspaper Publishers of Nigeria (ACNPN) and others, had benefitted severally since the inception of the Okowa led administration, including the current training.”

Meanwhile, they also commended the media managers of Okowa Government, especially the Commissioner for Information, Mr. Charles Ehiedu Aniagwu, Manager Communication, Pst. Jackson Ekwugum, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Olisa Ifeajika and the Offices of the Special Assistants to the Governor on Community Newspapers, Mr. Jonathan Onwuka and Prince Joseph Oromonokpaye, just as they “restated their unalloyed commitment to sustaining the already established relationship in order to access more of the knowledge based trainings of the present state government.”

The communiqué also reads: “Participants equally appealed for more of government patronages in terms of advertisement to individual community newspapers and other forms of grants to enhance their capacity for consistent publishing and maintenance of their office structures.

“The participants underscored the need for community relations and good neighborliness between various organs of the communities and the community newspapers covering such areas.

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“The publishers condemned publication of fake news and mis-information of any guise, admonishing members indulging in such tendencies to desist from them.

“Participants called on security agencies to at all times ensure the security of lives and properties of media executives and practitioners in the state. They called for increase in partnership, mutual synergy and symbiotic relationship between media persons and security agents in the state.

“The publishers expressed deep concern at non-compliance to house-style and layout format of planning a newspaper and, urged publishers to adhere to proper and simple usage of language of communication and techniques by engaging the assistance of professionals in specific areas of a publication to achieve quality output.”

Furthermore, they lauded the Special Assistants to the Governor on Community Newspapers, Mr. Jonathan Onwuka and Prince Joseph Oromonokpaye for their ingenuity at seeking beneficial knowledge based trainings for publishers, thereby appealing to Government “for more funding to capacitate the offices towards proper grassroots information management.”

Meanwhile, they called on the Governor of Delta State, Sen. Ifeanyi Okowa “to bring his political prowess to bear on the national political space by spearheading the mobilization of Nigerians towards enthroning the people oriented democratic government in 2023.”
The two-day training workshop that held on Wednesday, 8th and Thursday, 9th December, 2021, took place at the Hotel Benizia, Asaba, Delta State.

The programme flagged off by Mr. Charles Aniagbwu, also had the Honourable Commissioner for Science and Technology, Mrs. Adasen Jennifer, the Manager Communication, Pastor Jackson Ekwugum and other aides of His Excellency in attendance.

A total of three high profile resource persons – Prof. Ben U. Nwanne, Dr. Oji Majority and Mr. Pius Mordi did justice to various sub-topics arising from the theme of the workshop “Community Newspapers as Nexus for Democratic Development in Nigeria”.