Faith Awa Maji, Lafia
Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has today warned that Government will not condone undue sensationalization of reportage and falsehood of any kind by members of the Fourth Estate of the Realm in the State saying they must be guided by the ethics of journalism profession in carrying out their assignment.
He stated this while unveiling the remodeled Government House Press Centre in Government House, Lafia.
Sule said the State Government shall continue to cherish objective and constructive criticisms in the delivery of its mandate to the good people of Nasarawa State.
He stated that his administration is not unaware of the independence of the press in the discharge of its statutory obligations saying, government shall continue to encourage members of the Fourth Estate of the Realm to discharge their onerous responsibilities to the society considering the critical role the media plays in information dissemination and enlightenment of the citizenry, particularly on Government policies and programmes.
“I must however, implore you to be guided by the dictate and rule of engagement in the due discharge of your responsibility to the society”.
He commend the men of the Fourth Estate of the Realm for the significant role they have continued to play towards the dissemination of government policies and programmes for the accelerated development of the State and the country at large.
“Indeed, your support in the last one year greatly assisted in the sensitization of our people, as well as bridging the information gap for public consumption.
“Let me, therefore, express my profound appreciation to the members of the press for your doggedness and resilience in our collective fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in the State. This is evident through your daily reportage which has continued to enlighten the populace on the danger of the Coronavirus pandemic. This effort is highly commendable and I urge you to sustain the tempo”.
According to Governor Sule, government is not unaware of journalists support to its development agenda of turning around the fortunes of the people of Nasarawa State.
“I must say that without the media support, our development aspirations would not have been visible. Indeed, your role has continued to set agenda in our determination to entrench an all-inclusive governance for the benefit of our people”.
He said, the remodeling of the edifice is informed by his administration’s desire to provide conducive environment for the Government House Press Crew and other related press activities to enhance the execution of their responsibility in the most effective and proficient manner.
“In the same vein, Government also renovated and furnished the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) complex. We have also allocated five (5) houses to the State Council of the NUJ in Karu, among other logistics support.
“In furtherance of our commitment to appreciate the efforts and contributions of journalists in the State, we have organized End of the Year Media Award Night, last year. This was to recognize outstanding performance of our journalists who have excelled in their field of endeavour.
“Let me at this juncture, implore you to ensure the maintenance of the facility in this complex for durability and sustainability”.
He then commended journalists in the State for their understanding, cooperation and support in their commitment to ensure a serene environment for all and sundry.
Also speaking at the unveiling of the remodeling edifice, the Director General, Nigerian Television Authority, (NTA) Yakubu Ibn Mohammed said, Governor Abdullahi Sule has set a pace for others to follow hence he urged journalists to make judicious use of the edifice for which it was meant for.
In a welcome address, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State, Ibrahim Adara said the Governor single handedly renovated the edifice from his private pucket while he appealed to to Governor to provide the facility with CCT camera aimed at meeting the world standard.