Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Hon. Kingsley Fanwo has charged the public relations officers of the 21 local government councils in the state to step up their game in order to project the image of the state in good light.
Fanwo gave the charge in Lokoja while addressing local government information officers in his office.
He stated that Governor Yahaya Bello is doing more for the people of Kogi state and no bad press can steal his magnificent achievements.
Fanwo said despite the state government’s heavy investment in security and infrastructure, it is sad that “some enemies of the state will still be mocking us over flooding which is a natural disaster.”
He charged the information officers to develop communication pillars and give useful information to the people.
“We are at a green era of our history as a people when unity has become a way of life, when we are addressing insecurity, when the State Government is working hard to provide infrastructure and building the capacity of our people to ensure prosperity.
“But the world will not know until we show them what we are doing. We must tell the Kogi story truthfully, factually and correctly.
“We cannot be in every local government area. You are the mouthpiece and the ear of the Governor and the government in your respective LGAs. All of us must share the Kogi dream, develop communication pillars and give useful information to our people. Governor Yahaya Bello is doing more for the people of Kogi State and no bad press can steal the magnificent achievements of the Governor.
“We are working on the State Council of Information to cement an institutional framework for our synergy. We also call on the chief executives of the LGA to properly fund their information departments for efficient and effective performance. The economic situation is well understood but information dissemination will never be cheap. We have to keep striving to ensure our people are not left in the dark as to what Government is doing at all levels.”
The Commissioner charged the PROs to dominate the next edition of the Doing More Magazine, saying a lot of achievements have been recorded at that level.
“The Doing More Magazine is the initiative of the administration to tell her stories. The world must see the greatness of our dear State and the magical touch of Governor Yahaya Bello. Doing More Magazine is already playing its part in telling that story.
“No administration has done more in the areas of agriculture, healthcare, education, business growth and youth empowerment like the Yahaya Bello administration. The detractors see the roads we have constructed. They see the schools and hospitals we have built. They are ashamed of telling the world about these stupendous achievements because they never wanted the state to witness development. So the only thing they do is to mock the people when there is natural disaster.
“The Governor stands with the people affected by the unfortunate flood. Government will do everything possible to support them. But we also have a big role to play. Our people must see the danger of building houses along river courses. Government will ensure the enforcement of this safety procedure, going forward.
“The Doing More Magazine is already in many embassies, High commissions, airports and many reputable institutions. With what we have achieved at the local government level, I charge you all to turn it into a big competition to dominate the pages of the Magazine,” he said.
Fanwo said the PROs are the “Confluence Business Directory (CBD) agents at their various LGAs”, saying the CBD is capable of transforming the economy and image of the state.
Earlier, the chairman of the Forum of Local Government Public Relations Officers, Mr. Ayo Olukayode Joachim, who is also the PRO for Kabba/Bunu LGA, thanked the commissioner for setting standards for performance.
“This is the first time we are meeting with a Commissioner for Information to discuss the way forward. It shows we are in a new dawn. We will work with you to ensure efficient information dissemination at the grassroots,” he assured.
The Forum later presented an award of excellence to the commissioner for his contributions to the information sector in the State.
Also at the meeting were the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr. Ojo Stephen; Director of Information Services, Mr. Jordan Akpata; Director of Digital and Printing Services, Mr Ebenezer Adurodija; the Ministry’s PRO, Mr. Rotimi Odofin and other top management staff of the ministry.
