Mr Ibrahim Addra, the new Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to Gov. Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State, has solicited the support of journalists in objective projection of the activities of the administration.
Addra made the appeal on Monday in Lafia during a familiarisation visit paid on members of the Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Nasarawa State Council.
The CPS said: “The reason for this visit, beside interacting and seeing my colleagues, is to seek your partnership and collaboration.
“Let me be honest, if I fail on this job, one way or another, I feel my colleagues will also be blamed.
“People who are not in this profession will say that you people say you know the job and one of you was appointed, what did you do? You will be hard pressed to start defending yourself.
“So, I crave your indulgence to give me your support, your cooperation so that together we can deliver on this work,” he said.
Addra said that Gov. Sule had already demonstrated goodwill and open heart to work with citizens in the state, including journalists, to develop the state, hence the need to support the administration to succeed.
“One such sign of that goodwill as I recall vividly is his instruction that the media centre be renovated. As we speak, complete renovation is ongoing,” he said.
The CPS then assured journalists in the state that he would operate an open door policy where all journalists can have free and direct access to him to clarify any issue that would aid their professional responsibilities in the state.
“I am counting on your support, I am counting on that partnership, I am counting on your guidance and I want to assure you that I intend to run an open door policy where you can have access to me as much as possible.
“Whatever issues come up, let’s have a conversation. If there is anything or any clarification you require, feel free through your executives or even on one on one basis we can talk about it,” he said.
He, however, appealed to the journalists to always keep to the ethics of the profession by always being objective and balanced and to also work in the overall interest of the state.
Responding, Mr Isaac Ukpoju, Chairman of the Correspondents Chapel, thanked the CPS for finding time to visit members of the chapel and assured him of the complete support of the chapel in projecting the activities of the state government.
“We believe in partnership for the overall development of the state and we want to assure you and the state government that we will work hard in line with our professional ethics to project the activities of the state government. We will not fail you,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that until his recent appointment as CPS by Governor Abdullahi Sule, Addra was a correspondent with Channels Television Network, a private broadcast station in the country. (NAN)