Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed has reiterated the strong commitment of his administration to strengthening the media industry given the crucial role of broadcasting in national growth and development, especially in a democracy.
The Governor was speaking on Tuesday at the 80th Broadcasting Organizations of Nigeria (BON) Meeting held in Bauchi with the theme ‘The Broadcast Media in the Era of Economic Downturn – The Way Forward’.
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The Governor highlighted various initiatives his administration has undertaken to enhance the performance of state-owned media organizations, particularly the Bauchi Radio Corporation (BRC) and the Bauchi Television Authority (BATV).
Bala Mohammed commended BON for choosing Bauchi as the host city for this gathering, noting that the state remains a strong advocate for press freedom, media development, and responsible journalism.
Bala Mohammed charged Journalists to uphold the core values of objectivity, transparency and accountability through truthful reportage of events for sustainable growth and development.
He lamented that in 2019, his administration inherited a very dilapidated media infrastructure which necessitated the intervention of his administration to immediately get the stations back on air.
The National Chairman, Broadcasting Organizations of Nigeria (BON) and Director General, Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) Comrade Salihu Abdulhamid Dembos, lauded Bala Mohammed towards the success of the General Assembly.
represented by Alh Yusuf Isa, he said that the theme was deliberately chosen to enable stakeholders to deliberate on the best way to improve media operations amidst the global challenges in the industry.
In his remarks, Executive Secretary of the Broadcasting Organizations of Nigeria (BON), Yemisi Bamgbose appreciated the collective effort of the delegates to make it to the general assembly despite the harsh economic conditions of the country.
He also commended Governor Bala Mohammed for doing so well to improve the living standards of the people of the State considering the many infrastructure development across the state.
He then charged media practitioners to always live up to the expectations of reaching out to the people.
The Managing Director/CEO of News Agency OF Nigeria (NAN), Ali M Ali, National President of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Alhassan Yahaya among others, presented goodwill messages stressing the importance of Media in enhancing democracy.
Earlier in his welcome address, Bauchi State Commissioner of Information and Communications, Usman Shehu Usman said that the BON 80th General Assembly would open a new chapter of the broadcast revolution giving the huge resources expended on the state-owned media organizations.
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