By; PATRICK TITUS, Uyo
For being seen to have contributed remarkably to nation building, the Akwa Ibom State Deputy Governor, Mr Moses Ekpo, and the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Comrade Ini Ememobong have been honoured by Nigeria Union of journalists (NUJ).
The event which held in Uyo at the weekend, had the pioneer Information Commissioner, Mr Ekpo receive a Lifetime Achievement Award, while the incumbent, Ememobong emerged Most Outstanding Commissioner in the South South Zone.
Speaking on the awards, National President of NUJ, Chief Chris Isiguzo said the union, which does not reward unmerited personalities, took out time to scrutinize the awardees, and could rightly adjudge them most deserving of the awards.
“The government and the governed now look up to the media, that is why we will not give recognition to just anybody. We take out time to scrutinize awardees, and I can say that these ones are deserving of the awards.
“Comrade Ini Emembong is one of the best commissioners we have ever produced in the South-South. He is driven by intellect, humility, initiative and ingenuity. He is an Outstanding Commissioner”. He asserted.
The National President who applauded NUJ Zone F and the Akwa Ibom State Council for the initiative, suggested the need to make such an annual gathering.
He also appealed to journalists to hold onto the ethics of the profession as watchdogs of the society.
In a keynote address, Prof Godwin Okon of the Department of Mass Communication, Rivers State University of Science and Technology, described Ememobong’s honour as deserving, as he scored Akwa Ibom high on information management, media relations and ability to maintain a hygienic website for the state.
In his words “The information management optics of Akwa Ibom State government leaves much room for commendation and emulation. A participant cluster appraisal reveals that the state in the past eight years has not particularly been in the news for the wrong reasons.
“Approaches to government information management are multifaceted. While some derive from the literature, others from industry practice with yet another stream dovetailing within the framework of hybridization. That of the state seems to assume the hybrid colouration which allows for more than just a cursory glance while presenting a lesson curve.
“Maintaining a hygienic website
In the face of social media blitz, the official website of the state becomes the first port of attention. Fortunately, Akwa-Ibom State evokes favourable imagery in the minds of many with Uyo becoming a destination point for conferences, workshops, and other ancillary programmes.
“Commendably, the official website of Akwa Ibom State Government, as revealed in the course of a recent study, is remarkably the best when viewed against the backdrop of the South-South states.
He cited instances where the Akwa Ibom State Government information management team demonstrated top-class approach to crisis/information management and applauded organizers of the award ceremony for recognizing excellence.
Speaking on behalf of the awardees, the Deputy Governor, Mr Moses Ekpo, dedicated the award to his mentors and to “all real journalists in Akwa Ibom State” and vowed to remain a journalist.
“I pledge that I will always remain a reporter and a journalist. It is the right way to go. This is indeed a valedictory honour and I want to assure you that whether in Government or outside Government, i will be a journalist” he assured
Goodwill messages and encomiums poured in from the organizers of the event, led by the Vice President, NUJ Zone F (South South) Comrade Opaka Dokubo, Chairman of NUJ, Akwa Ibom State Council, Comrade Amos Etuk, past commissioners for information, Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Information and Strategy and personal aides of Comrade Ini Ememobong, who all gave glowing descriptions of the awardees.
