RSG Partners Media On Good Governance

The Rivers State Government, has pledged to collaborate with media-based organizations to enthrone good governance in all sectors of the state.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information  and Communications, Mrs Jokotade Adamu said this Tuesday in Port Harcourt while delivering open the 2013 World Press Freedom Day celebration of the Rivers State Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).

Mrs Jokatade who was represented by the director, Public Enlightenment, Pastor Paulinus Nsirim also said that government was not relenting in its efforts to ensure that the state secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists destroyed by thunder storm is rebuilt.

She said that the state government was also not relenting in its effort to build the first media village in the state, while plans are on to equip the state owned media organisation.

The Permanent Secretary also urged for collaboration among media organisations to check the incidence of  quackery and yellow journalism, while journalists themselves must work hard to uphold the ethics of their profession.

The chairman of the occasion, Dr Anthony A Amakiri pleaded with the state government to hasten the process of rebuilding the NUJ secretariat.

Dr Amakiri, who was former General Manager of Rivers State Newspaper Corporation (RSNC) also charged journalists to ensure that the principle of timeliness is kept to all times.

Dr John Idumange in his lecture entitled freedom of expression in Nigeria: Navigating a meeting point between the old and new media” said that the world press freedom celebrated since 1993 raises a lot of fundamental questions on the event especially in the developing countries, where dictatorial government s have stifled press freedom.

Dr Idumange who is the special Assistant to the Bayelsa State Government on documentation regretted that 20 years down the line , the press is still being censored journalists are arbitrarily arrested and tortured.

He also urged journalists to enhance their capacity by attending seminars, while also effecting on ways of combining both the old and the new media.

Dr Barigbon Nsereka in his lecture entitled, ‘ combating impunity of crimes against press freedom’ said that Nigerian needs an activist judiciary, and not a teleguided one. He also stressed the need for training  and retraining of journalists.

The state NUJ chairman, Mr Opaka Dokubo praised the state government for ensuring press freedom in the state.