By Our Correspondent
The Governor of Cross River State, Senator Ben Ayade has assured journalists in the state of his administration’s commitment towards building and sustaining a robust relationship between the media, the government and people of the state.
Governor Ayade who gave the assurance while inaugurating the Media Center for the Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), at the Governor’s Office, Calabar, Monday said that the Press is a veritable stakeholder in the development and sustenance of sanity among the people of any society.
He explained that it was the desire of the state government to maintain the existing relationship as well as build a stronger tie between the government and the Correspondents Chapel in particular and the members of NUJ in the state in general, while expressing confidence that the new media center will contribute to enhancing the work of media men in the state.
The Cross River State governor commended the chairman of the Correspondents Chapel, Mr. Judex Okoro and other executive members for this landmark achievement of making use of the good will built over the years to go into Public Private Partnership to be able to obtain equipment to furnish the office disclosing that none of the items in the media center were provided by the state government outside the provision of the office space, and called for greater reportage of government development activities by the chapel.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Cross River State Council, Pastor Ndoma Akpet commended governor Ayade for providing the correspondents chapel with the office space for the media center, thereby making it possible for them to return to the governor’s office they had left many years ago, and also lauded the chairman of the Chapel, Mr. Judex Okoro for his initiative and good network of friends that ensured the PPP and the eventual equipping of the center.
Pastor Akpet appealed to the state government to enhance the wages of journalists in the state, restore the monthly allowance to the correspondents chapel that was stopped several months ago, and also called on the government to carry out employment of new and younger media practitioners to replace those who had gone on retirement and who are about to follow suit in the state owned media houses.
In his brief speech, the Chairman of the Correspondents Chapel and host, Mr. Judex Okoro said that he was elated that his ambition of returning the Correspondents Chapel to the Governor’s Office, which was part of his campaign promises has been realized today, disclosing that the equipping and furnishing of the center was achieved through PPP arrangement, using the good relationship they have built across all strata of the society in and outside the state, and commended the Governor, Senator Ben Ayade for providing the Chapel with an office space for the media center.
Mr. Okoro promised that having their media center back at the Governor’s Office and close to the source from where the official government information emanates will help and motivate them to report government activities timely and with vigor.
The Correspondents Chapel Chairman assured that the relationship between media men in the state will not only be sustained but will be robustly enhanced for the mutual benefit of both parties.
Leave feedback about this