Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago of Niger State expressed sadness at the deplorable condition of virtually all the state-owned media houses and informed journalists of plans to change the narratives by privatizing some of them for effective Management.
Umaru Bago challenged journalists to be good ambassadors of the profession and the state while carrying out their reportorial duties.
Governor Bago revealed his plans when the executive members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, (NUJ), Niger State Council led by its Chairman, Comrade Abu Nmadu, paid him a courtesy call at the government house, Minna.
He tasked Journalists as key stakeholders to ensure wider coverage of the activities of the present administration in a timely and accurate to avoid spreading fake and unsubstantiated news from Niger state.
The Governor specifically singled out Niger State Television (NSTV) which, according to him, is performing abysmally poorly.
He said, “I intend to rebrand and privatize the media organisation to compete favourably with other privately owned television stations.”
While assuring his administration’s continued support, Governor Umaru Bago advised the NUJ to look inward to be self-sustaining and enterprising to manage its affairs rather than depending on government support.
The NUJ Chairman, Comrade Abu Nmodu, had earlier expressed gratitude to the Governor for appointing three of it’s members; Bologi Ibrahim, Aisha Wakaso and the immediate past Chief Press Secretary, Mary Noel-Berje, to serve in his administration.
While commending Governor Umaru Bago for his earlier support of the union during his electioneering campaign, the NUJ leadership appealed for more support, especially as it affects the welfare of it’s members.
The NUJ chairman also decried the deplorable conditions of the state-owned media houses, requesting the Governor to invest in the sector by overhauling them for effective information dissemination and revenue generation.
Without investing enough resources, Comrade Abu pointed out that there is no way the Governor Umaru Bago-led administration can fault the media organisations for performing below expectations, adding that, “You cannot reap the reward if you do not invest in them”.
Comrade Abu also pleaded that career civil servants who are journalists qualified to become Permanent Secretaries should be considered for the positions so that they can contribute their quota to the administration’s success.
The NUJ chairman, who bestowed on Governor Umaru Bago as the state’s ‘Grand Patron of the union’, also intimated him about the investiture coming up next month, October, during the state Council’s annual Press Week celebration.
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