Information Commissioner Tasks State Media Houses On Improved Productivity …Visits The Tide, Garden City Radio, Govt Press

The Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Warisenibo Joseph Johnson, has tasked the various government media houses in the State to improve on their standard with a view to competing favourably with their private counterparts.
The Commissioner gave the charge during his maiden visit to the Rivers State Newspaper Corporation (RSNC), publishers of The Tide Newspaper.
Johnson, who acknowledged the various challenges facing government media houses in the State, said the present administration under the leadership of Governor Siminalayi Fubara is determined to ensure that the government media houses compete favourably with their counterparts across the country.
He said he decided to visit The Tide and other media houses in the State with a view to getting first hand information concerning their problems and challenges and report back to the governor.
The Commissioner, who was accompanied by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information and Communications, Mrs Ibiwari Clapton-Ogolo, said improving the standard of the various media houses owned by the State Government would bring investment to the State.
He expressed the hope that his visit would yield positive results for the media organisations, and charged the management and staff of the RSNC to brace up for the challenges ahead.
According to him, while the State Government is doing its part, it behoves the media organisations to be proactive and ensure positive returns on investment.
While conducting the Commissioner round the various departments of the corporation, the General Manager, Chief Ernest Chinwo, enumerated the challenges facing the Corporation, especially as regards the publication of The Tide Newspapers.
He said the Corporation needs urgent government intervention to put the place in order, lamenting that all the equipments in the Corporation are obsolete, requiring urgent replacement.
Chinwo also stressed the need for perimeter fencing of the RSNC to secure both lives and property in the Corporation.
He said the management is elated by the visit and assured the commissioner of the preparedness of the management and staff of the Corporation to continuously propagate government policies and programmes.
From the RSNC, the Commissioner proceeded to visit the Rivers State Government Printing Press, where he was received by the Head of the Printing Press, Mr. Olatunde Bello.
At the Government Printing Press, Bello congratulated the Commissioner on his appointment and expressed the readiness of the department to support the current administration in the State.
He listed some of the challenges facing the department to include lack of equipment, office building, aging and inadequate staff and insecurity of jobs printed outside the department, among others.
The Commissioner had earlier visited the Garden City Radio 89 .9.

By: John Bibor