-Blank NEWS Online (NIGERIA):
The Commissioner for Information, Delta State, Mr Charles Aniagwu, has reiterated his commitment to sustain the cordial working relationship existing between the state government and journalists in the state.
Aniagwu stated this when he received the newly elected executive and members of the Asaba Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Delta State Council in his office on Monday, November 9, 2020.
He said, “We are very pleased with the peaceful conduct of your election. The best thing was that you people chose your representatives”.
The commissioner who commended the immediate past Chairman of the Chapel, Comrade Paul Osuyi, for his credibility assured that improvement would be made on what was done in the past.
“I also want to appreciate the immediate past executive led by Paul Osuyi. He never had any issues of funds mismanagement. I want to assure you that our relationship will be more robust than what we had in the past.
“Government is a continuum; it means we can only improve on what we have done. We will continue to do our best.
“I want to assure you that the relationship will be more robust in the months and years to come,” the commissioner stated.
He hailed the meritorious service of Dominic Adewole at different times in the Union and passed a vote of confidence on the new executives whom he said were journalists from credible media organizations.
“For those who may have rumored, everyone knows that our relationship goes beyond the union, you know we have maintained other personal relationship and even when you were a member of the Caretaker Committee of State Council, you also contributed to the success of the election” he asserted.
On the issue of a takeoff grant, the commissioner solicited for a delayed response, saying when the atmosphere was rife, he would respond adequately.
He however, challenged the chapel to work out a strategy of saving an agreed percentage from its earnings, advising that members should endeavour to make sacrifices as true stakeholders of the union.
Earlier, the newly elected Chairman of the Correspondents’ Chapel, Asaba, Comrade Dominic Adewole, expressed profound gratitude to the commissioner for his exemplary leadership role and unwavering support towards the affairs of the chapel in time past.
“We were not elected to fight, neither were we elected to go to war. We are going to be objective and fair in reporting with a human face just as you have extended it to our chapel”.
Adewole further expressed the resolve of the new Exco members to adhere to the ethics of union in carrying at their responsibilities toward the growth of the Chapel.
In his words, “We are going to be objective; we are going to be fair, and we are going to do our work with human face.”
Adewole appealed to the commissioner to redeem his promise to provide a bus for the chapel and also solicited for a takeoff grant, urged him to keep the chapel at heart on keeping promises for its further growth.
