Otti’s mission to rebuild Abia requires joint efforts – Abia SSG
From Boniface Okoro, Umuahia
Pix shows Prof. Kenneth Kalu
Abia State government says achieving the mission of the current Dr. Alex Otti-led administration to rebuild the state requires the participation of all Abians.
Secretary to Abia State Government (SSG), Prof. Kenneth Kalu, stated this on Thursday when he received the leadership of Abia State Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in his office in Umuahia. Prof Kalu therefore charged the Press to project the state positively and educate the people to play their roles with a development mindset.
The SSG said the sincerity of the Governor Alex Otti-led government’s sincerity in driving the Abia rebuilding agenda should motivate every Abian to contribute to the success of the initiative, adding that every Abian, irrespective of their political persuasion should see themselves as part of the current administration.
“This administration is on a mission to rebuild. When you are on a mission to rebuild, there is the need for collaboration which entails everyone, every agent, including people in government, people on the streets, civil servants, and the Press; every agent putting in their very best,” Prof Kalu said.
He also stressed the need for unity for the rebuilding efforts to succeed.
“We cannot over emphasize the need for unity because irrespective of your political persuasion, I think we all have one thing in common: that humanity, that communality, that desire for good life, that desire to have our children go to school and be educated in a good environment, we desire to be treated in a good hospital when we are sick, it doesn’t matter what your political persuasions are.
“The point I am making is that all of us, irrespective of the political baggage we are carrying, we should see ourselves as part of this administration that is committed to making life comfortable for the people.
“It doesn’t mean that there will be no opposition, it only means that we should own this project of rebuilding to create a state that is functional. Everybody, every agent needs to put in their very best,” he insisted.
The SSG noted that the Press was critical to achieving the rebuilding objectives of the government and urged journalists in the state to educate the people to key into government’s rebuilding agenda and project Abia in good light so that investors and development partners would be attracted to the state.
He described journalists as partners in progress and called on them to be objective and report events in the state appropriately. The SSG said: “It is your role to project Abia in a good light so that people will want to come to Abia: so that investors and development partners will come.
“It’s also the role of the Press to inform the citizens on the policies and programmes of the government.
“One thing I will want us to do is to see ourselves as partners in development, partners in rebuilding the state for the good of all, report appropriately, report what is correct, report to educate, report to inform, report to develop. We shouldn’t report to undermine, we shouldn’t report to disparage; but our reporting should be truthful, should be objective and should be guided with that mindset of creating development that we need in Abia State.
“If we all do that, it means we are playing our own part in this rebuilding process, in this development process.”
According to him, the Press should see itself as part of the government because of its critical role of keeping the society informed.
“The Press is part of government; the fact that you take the message back to the people using various media: whether it is newspaper, radio, television, online – these days, you are part of government.
“Today, I want to invite the Press to be very committed to state building. How you do that will be to project the image of the state, educate the people, irrespective of where they are coming from,” he said, while assuring that the Otti administration would accord no the Press it’s pride of place.
“The Press is very critical in several ways in the life of every government. One of them will be to project whatever it is the government is doing. The other one will be to hold the government accountable in a responsible way, kind of show the good and the not-so-good.
“So, the Press is not an institution any government will toy with. The government of Dr. Alex Otti will give the Fourth Estate of the Realm it’s pride of place in it’s administration.
“We will continue to work with all of you, the journalists, in your various media, to ensure that the good of Abia is projected,” Prof. Kalu said.
Earlier, Chairman of Abia State Council of NUJ, Comrade Victor Ndukwe, had told the SSG that the Council’s leaders came to congratulate him on his appointment and to inform him that journalists in the state would collaborate with the state government to enable it to achieve it’s goal of rebuilding the state.
“As journalists, we are ready to do that which we should do for the development of the state,” Ndukwe said.
The Chairman also intimated the SSG of. the acute accommodation problem facing the Council and appealed to the government to urgently rally to it’s assistance.
