Fubara Promises Robust Media Engagement, Task Journalists on Ethics

The Rivers State Governor, Mr. Siminalayi Fubara has pledged robust relations with the media as a way to boost governance in the state.
Speaking at the opening of the Nigeria Union Of Journalists (NUJ) 2024 Press Week, the governor said the press is crucial for effective governance and delivery of democratic dividends.
Fubara, who was represented by the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Chief Joe Johnson, said that his administration sees the media as key partners to transform and mobilise the citizenry for a better polity.
The governor stressed the need for responsible journalism to sustain the country’s fledgling democracy.
“You have to put Rivers State ahead in your agenda,” he said, stressing that they should stay professional in an era of social media proliferation.
The Chairman of the occasion, Dame Ibim Semenitari said the theme of the press week, “Media and Sustenance of Democracy: A New Paradigm Shift,” was apt with current challenges facing the nation.
Semenitari, a former State Commissioner for Information and Communications recalled that the media played a huge role in the return of democracy in Nigeria, and therefore should preserve and sustain it through ethical and responsible journalism.
“We must work against the proliferation of fake news, and quackery and must not shy away from the key responsibility of investigative journalism.”
National Vice-President of NUJ Zone F, Comrade Opaka Dokubo said one of the benefits of the press week is to create camaraderie among media practitioners.
The State Chairman of the NUJ, Comrade Stanley Job Stanley said the Week provided time for stocktaking and review of activities of media practitioners across the state. Job made a plea for more support, especially for the renovation of the secretariat and other facilities needed for the effective operations of journalists in the state.
Speaking on the topic, “Media and Sustenance of Democracy: A New Paradigm Shift,” Dr. Williams Wodi said the role of the media has continued to evolve globally with current economic realities.
Dr Wodi, a former Head of the Public Relations Unit at the University of Port Harcourt, said that journalists need to be alive to their social responsibility and their role to champion the rights of the common people.
The paradigm shift in the view of Dr Wodi can only be achieved when there is a balance between the leaders and those led.