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Rivers State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike
Rotimi Amaechi, has called on the media
to be accountable to the public in the
reportage of events and activities in
society.
Governor Amaechi stated this in his
keynote address to the Sixth All
Nigerian Editors Conference in Port
Harcourt which has as its theme: Oil and
Gas, Post-Amnesty and the Nigerian
Editor.
He said he is in support of the freedom
of Information Bill as long as it has a
provision for criminal libel against any
media practitioner that deliberately
publishes what is incorrect.
The governor, who highlighted the many
advantages of an accountable media
culture, urged media practitioners to be
accountable to the public through
factual reportage of events, emphasizing
that it was the same way elected
officers could be held accountable to
the people that elected them.
He remarked that Nigeria stands on the
threshold of history towards the 2011
elections and charged the media to play
its agenda setting role through their
editorials in the various media
organizations.
The governor explained that the
political parties must be prepared to
show the electorate what they have done
to seek for election, emphasizing that
votes should count, for politicians to
be more responsible.
The State Chief Executive noted that God
has blessed Nigeria with natural
resources in various parts of the
country and enjoined the Nigerian Guild
of Editors to push for fiscal federalism
as a way of enhancing the development of
the nation.
According to him, “oil and gas seems to
have crippled the inherent but readily
available mental capacity of our nation
to engage itself fully with the lure of
easy petro-dollar”, noting that the
discovery of oil has ushered in misery
to the Niger Delta people even as the
federal government has not done any
project in the state for the past 20
years.
Governor Amaechi, who highlighted his
efforts in the establishment of the
social rehabilitation institute to
reform misguided youths, said the
federal government need to move fast in
its Post Amnesty Programme to enable the
ex-militants reintegrate into society.
Speaking, the Minister of Information
and Communications, Prof Dora Akunyili
urged the Nigerian Guild of Editors to
celebrate Nigeria as part of efforts of
rebranding Nigeria
She said time has come for the editors
to believe in themselves and highlight
some positive things that are happening
in Nigeria in their publications.
On her part, the Rivers State
Commissioner for Information and
Communications, Mrs Ibim Semenitari
thanked the Nigerian Guild of Editors
for choosing Port Harcourt for their
conference, and enjoined them to thank
Governor Chibuike Amaechi for picking
one of their members to serve in the
State Executive Council.
The President, Nigerian Guild of
Editors, Mr Gbenga Adefaye described the
conference as an opportunity to refocus
as elections are approaching, adding
that editors need to put public policies
on the agenda while politicians play
their game.
Governor Amaechi, who also conducted the
delegates round some projects executed
by the State Government, had earlier
received the Nigerian Guild of Editors
on a courtesy call at Government House,
Port Harcourt where he charged them to
be responsible in the discharge of their
duties to the society.
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