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By Joel Anekwe
Rivers State commissioner for Information and Communications, Paulnus Nsirim, has stated that spite of the Covid-19 pandemic and the attendant global economic recession, the state governor, Nyesom Wike, has been on the driver’s seat pursuing his developmental agenda for the state.
He said that the state has become a major player in national politics because of governor’s rapid infrastructural development of the state.
While emphasizing that state has recorded giant strides under the leadership of Wike, the commissioner charged the media to also begin to highlight the numerous projects being executed by the government in the rural areas.
Nsirim who spoke to journalists in Port Harcourt emphasized that in spite of the Covid-19 pandemic and the global economic recession, Governor Wike has been on the driver’s seat pursuing his developmental agenda adding that contrary to the impression being created, Governor Wike has evenly spread developmental projects across all the local government areas of the state.
On how the governor has been able to achieve results, Nsirim said, “Governor Wike has put God first and he has a passion to develop Rivers State. He is selflessly committed to making Rivers State investors’ destination of choice and of course, he is a prudent manager of resources.”
He disagreed with critics who accused the governor of concentrating projects in Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor as he insisted that Wike has spread developmental projects to all the local government areas of the state.
He urged the media to guard against the practice of armchair journalism, adding that the state government is open to any constructive criticism that will contribute to the developmental efforts of the administration.
“I have said to journalists that it is only a bad leader that will not want constructive criticism, but we shouldn’t promote armchair criticism. The media must not allow itself to be a dumping site for armchair criticism, but you see, that is what we find most of the time. A lot of people are just there for the pull him down syndrome. They don’t see anything good. It shouldn’t be so.”
He challenged the media practitioners to always uphold the tenets of objectivity and fairness in the discharge of their statutory responsibilities to society. “It is important that now that we have so many people straying into the profession, the legacy we leave behind determines the sustenance of the tenets of the profession. You cannot afford to leave behind a situation where professionalism is thrown to the dogs,” he said.
He appealed to journalists in the state to continue to partner with Governor Wike who, according to him, is determined to bequeath a worthy legacy for posterity.
“When the history will be written, you will be proud to be part of the success story,” he told the media practitioners.
In his remark, chairman of the Correspondents Chapel of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, Rivers State chapter, Mr. Amaechi Okonkwo, lauded the media aide for a cordial relationship between Governor Wike’s administration and the media.
He urged Nsirim to use his seasoned media experience to improve the relationship between the media and Governor Wike’s administration.
Others media executives such as the state chairman of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, Stanley Job Stanley; the chairman of RIVPA, Ngo Martin-Yellowe; the general manager, Rivers State Television Pastor Dafini Gogo – Abbey, all lauded Nsirim for building a bridge of friendship between the state and the media.
