Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, has just sworn in 13 new commissioners into the State Executive Council to drive the policies and programmes of the government.
Among the 13 wise men and women is Mr. Paulinus Nsirim, a former chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Rivers State Council and one-time Chief Press Secretary to a former Governor of the State.
Nsirim, before his elevation, was the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information and Communications and currently, the State Chairman of Nigeria Institute of Public Relations (NIPR).
The Rivers State Ministry of Information and Communications is among few ministries headed by professionals in their areas of discipline or specialty against the practise of appointing commissioners and ministers and deploying them to ministries where they may not have direct cognate experience or training.
No doubt, journalists and PR practitioners in the state and beyond have poured encomium on Governor Wike for appointing not just one of their own but one who will preside over a related ministry.
It is, therefore, a rare privilege to have this opportunity of administering the ministry as a specialized one and much is expected from Nsirim, who is also a Christian cleric.
It is on record that Mr Nsirim narrowly missed being a commissioner under Governor Celestine Omehia even after being screened by the state legislature.
The huge task before the new commissioner is to first justify the confidence reposed in him by Governor Wike and the trust of journalists who are rejoicing today.
As Permanent Secretary, Nsirim was driving a campaign tagged: “Our State Our Responsibility” aimed at correcting negative and erroneous impressions about the state.
Pastor Nsirim might have scored an alpha (A) in driving the campaign, particularly the manner in which he identified the various publics in the strata of society from the public to the private sector.
Today, a higher responsibility is at hand and the state government, as well as the entire Rivers people, would expect systematic and coordinated dissemination and management of government policies and programmes for the overall benefit of society.
On the other hand, government must be prepared to promote and encourage resonance by feeling the pulse of the masses.
The new Commissioner for Information and Communications must graduate and migrate from transmissional or linear system of create a public sphere such as town hall meeting or peoples’ parliament.
This would midwife a point of convergence and interface with ordinary Rivers people against the hitherto authoritarian and patanalistic methodology where the government is all-knowing.
At this juncture, it is expedient to make reference to the remarks of the pioneer General Manager of British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Lord Reith, while commissioning the BBC Empire Service in 1932 which later transformed to BBC World Service.
According to Reith: “The World Service would become a connecting and coordinating link between the scattered parts of British Empire”.
This informed the reason radio broadcasting experience came to Nigeria in 1933 to link Nigeria to the parent government in Britain.
It would be noted that, earlier in history, the 3rd President of the United States of America, Thomas Jefferson, was quoted as saying “If I am asked to choose between a society with a government and another society with newspaper I would prefer a society with newspaper to the one with government”.
This, no doubt, underscores the significance of the Media otherwise referred to as the Press to the socio-economic development of society.
Unfortunately, the state of Rivers State Government-owned media establishments is appalling and remains a sad commentary on the vision of the founding fathers.
For instance, at the creation of Rivers State in May 1967, some strategic institutions of state were established to drive the vision of government and leaders of thought behind the state creation movement.
They include Rivers State Newspaper Corporation publishers of The Tide Newspaper in 1971 and the Rivers State Broadcasting Corporation primarily established to serve as an umbrella body for Radio Rivers AM/FM as well as RSTV to help portray favourable identity of Rivers people. Much later, the Garden City Radio was established.
Worse still, Radio Rivers AM premises at Ozuoba in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, home town of the Commissioner of Information, had either been donated or sold to Daar Communication, owners of AIT and Raypower Radio, under the Governor Peter Odili administration.
As if that was not enough, the Government of Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi gave part of Rivers State Council for Arts and Culture to Silver Bird Communications at Abonnema Wharf Road.
While it may not be proper to question the good intentions of government, Rivers people should know how their resources held in trust are being managed.
It is common knowledge that most government officials patronize private media within and outside the state over indigenous public media outfits. Pastor Nsirim can help correct this unfortunate scenario.
It would be recalled that the River State Government under Navy Commander Alfred Diete-Spiff established the Rivers State College of Science and Technology. Ten years after, the government of Chief Meldford Okilo upgraded it to Rivers State University of Science and Technology. And 37 years after, Chief Nyesom Wike amended the law and renamed it Rivers State University.
Similarly, Rivers State University Teaching Hospital was transformed from a nursing home to a specialist hospital (BMSH) and to its present status. This is the way to keep vision alive so that the Labour of our Heroes past shall not be in vain.
Pastor Paulinus Nsirim should galvanise this transformation in the information sector while also attaching adequate premium to the training and retraining of journalists.
Sika is of Radio Rivers FM, Port Harcourt.

Baridorn Sika