By; SANI GAZAS CHINADE, Damaturu
The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Yobe State Chapter has presented an award of excellence to Governor Mai Mala Buni in Damaturu, in recognition of his support to media practitioners in the state.
During an interactive session with the newsmen after the award presentation at the Banquet Hall, Government House Damaturu, the governor who appreciated the gesture, described the session as the first of its kind in the state, urging them to improve on reporting the state government’s projects and programmes to the citizens of the state.
He said that the media is one of the organs promoting democracy and good governance to meet the yearnings and aspirations of the people in the state, adding, that democracy cannot work without the effort of the media as the mechanism for feedback.
As Yobe moves to the recovery process, Buni urged journalists to continue to keep people informed about the government’s projects that have positive impact on them, such as healthcare service delivery, education, potable drinking water, electricity, markets, and airports among others, assuring that government would continue to train and retrain its staff in the civil service for optimum benefit.
He appealed to the journalists in the state to adhere to the ethics of the profession by disseminating information to the public, assuring them of a conducive environment for all.
The governor also approved the immediate extension of transmission time for the State Broadcasting Corporation YBC to 10pm.
Earlier speaking, the Commissioner of Home Affairs, Information, and Culture, Alhaji Muhammad Lamin represented by the Director of Information Services, Hajiya Husna Ibrahim appreciated the efforts of the governor for giving the journalists in the state the opportunity to interact with him.
She assured the governor of bridging the gap between the government and the governed by disseminating government policies and programmes to the grassroots.
Hajiya Husna also commended the governor’s commitment to digitizing the two state-owned media houses, empowerment, training, and retraining of its staff, adding that the state will soon go digital.
In their separate remarks, the General Managers of YTV, YBC, State Printing Cooperation, Sun Shine FM and NTA, commended the efforts of Governor Buni for initiating various developmental projects that touch the lives of the people across the state and promised to work hand-in-hand with the state government in disseminating its policies and programmes to the people.
Highpoint of the occasion was the presentation of the award of excellence to the governor by NUJ Chairman, Comrade Rajab Mohamed, and the questions and answers session.
