Journalists, especially those plying their trade in the Niger Delta, have been urged to portray the region in positive lights in their various reportage, just as Nigerian Tribune Chief Correspondent in Delta State, Ebenezer Adurokiya, was honoured with an award of excellence.
The clarion call came from governor of Kogi State, Yaya Bello, deputy governor of Delta State, Dcn Kingsley Otuaro and Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Colonel Milland Dixon Dikio (retd).
The event was the 2021 Annual Workshop, Media Dinner/Award Night organised and hosted by a leading Niger Delta media outfit, Gbaramatu Voice Newspaper on Thursday last week.
Resource persons at the workshop, included Chairman Editorial Board, Gbaramatu Voice Newspaper, Professor Tosan Harriman and Dr. Monday Michael Ashibogwu.
The lecture tagged ‘The importance and benefits of engaging the social media space to develop their audience, immediate environment and developing their financial resources.’
Governor Bello, who was represented by the Deputy Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly, Hon Ahmed, at the Dinner/Award Night of the event, said being media-friendly, he had been partnering with the media in Kogi State and ready to do same in the Niger Delta.
Speaking in the same vein during the workshop, Commissioner for Information, Kogi State, Mr. Fanwo Kingsley, charged journalists across Niger Delta to tell the story of the region in positive lights particularly ahead of the 2023 elections.
While acknowledging the role of the media in the 2023 general election, he called on journalists to stop portraying the Niger Delta as ridden with crises, militancy, bunker and intra and inter-communal hostilities.
He urged journalists to begin to tell the story of the region in the light of peace and a business-flourishing region so as to attract investors to improve the livelihood of the people.
Deputy Governor of Delta State, Otuaro, on his part, commended the management and staff of the GbaramatuVoice Newspaper for the Niger Delta Annual Media Dinner/Workshop.
Speaking through his Senior Special Adviser, Arex Akemotubo at the Dinner/Award night session, he lauded the dedication of the media outfit to balanced reportage of the issues on Niger Delta.
The Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Colonel Dikio, speaking through his Special Adviser, Media, Mr. Neotabase Egbe, who also urged media practitioners to concentrate on telling positive stories about the Niger Delta, lamented a situation where media practitioners slave and strive to tell stories with no one telling their own story and none celebrating them.
He, therefore, praised the GbaramatuVoice newspaper for providing a platform for celebrating fellow journalists, describing the Niger Delta region as having the most talented and resourceful personalities with entertainment and creativity.
At the Dinner/Award Night which crowned the one-day event, an admixture of the old and young individuals in the media industry were given awards of excellence.
They included Colonel Dikio, Chairman of Vanguard Newspaper, Prince Sam Amuka; Chief Correspondent, Nigerian Tribune, Ebenezer Adurokiya; Vanguard South South Regional Editor, Emmanuel Amaize, Acting Regional Editor, Egufe Yafugbori (Rivers); and Vanguard Assistant Editor, Jimitota Onoyume.
Others presented with Awards of Excellence included Grace Ekong of Channels Television; Mr. Mamode Akugha, Veteran broadcast journalist and CEO, Inside Niger Delta TV Show, Dr. Monday Ashibogwu, CEO of the Republic Media Limited, Dr. Hannah Aman, Rivers State Television and Mr. Adamu Usman, a veteran journalist.