NUJ Press Week: Akeredolu Solicits For Media Support

Akeredolu has called for synergy between the media and government.

News Rain Nigeria gathered that Ondo State governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, while declaring open the Nigeria Union of Journalists(NUJ) Ondo Council Press Week on Tuesday, solicited synergy between the media and government in ensuring developmental programmes are implemented for the benefit of the people.

The governor, who was represented at the event by the Chief of Staff(CoS), Chief Olugbenga Ale, noted that cooperation between the media and government would go a long way in enhancing the efficiency and performance of government is serving the people.

Akeredolu Solicits For Media Support

He said: “My key concern was how these two key institutions can nurture openness, synergy, courage and fairness in order to redefine leadership and deliver excellent service to the people of our state.”

Akeredolu emphasized on the importance of newsmen’s support for the success of the newly established South-West Security Network popularly known as Amotekun Corps.

According to him the Amotekun corps needed more of advice than criticism for it to serve the people in term of providing security.

The governor said: “Amotekun is not in competition with the Police, DSS, the military and other security agencies, neither is it an alternative to them. Rather, it is a civil and community-based ant to complement the efforts of the Nigerian security services to combat crime. Its major strength is grassroots intelligence gathering, crime detection and prevention.”

The state Commandant of Amotekun Corps, Mr. Adetunji Adeleye, who delivered the public lecture of the NUJ Press Week for the year entitled: “Contemporary Security Challenges: Is Amotekun The Way Forward?”, disclosed that the ratio of police to the citizenry was ridiculously low.

He revealed that the data made available by the Bureau of Statistics put the ratio of police to the citizenry at one police to 450 persons.

Adeleye declared that the Amotekun Corps was established to collaborate with and assist the Police and other security network agencies in gathering information about crime, crime investigation, arrest and prosecution of persons suspected or involved in kidnapping, terrorism, cattle rustling, destruction or farms and crops, destruction of livelihood, criminal damage to properties, human trafficking, cultism, highway robbery, sea piracy, oil bunkering, and any other offences.

The commandant commended Governor Akeredolu for being very supportive and responsive in giving security issues a top priority.

He, however, stated that it required concerted efforts to resolve security challenges in the nation.

“No one has all the solutions hence the need for collaboration with individuals and institutional actors both local, national and foreign.” He said

In his remarks, the state Chairman of NUJ, Comrade Adetona Aderoboye appealed to the state government to consider promotion of some journalists and information officers who had been directors in the state Ministry of Information for over a decade, to the position of permanent secretary.

He also appealed for absorption of workers at the state owned Hope Newspapers to the state civil service and payment of gratuities of retirees from the media house.