Family Don’t Fight Against Families As Commissioner Tells Journalists– Akinlosotu
Olusegun HOSEA. 10th May 2024
* Hold My Hands. Let Us Be On This Journey Together
*The Family that Laughs Together Stays Together .
The Commissioner for information and Orientation, Ondo State, Mr Wale Akinlosotu has said the roles of Journalists are very important in the society. Disclosing this in an interactive family gathering at the Nigeria Union of Journalists -NUJ State Council Akure, recognized how important Journalist’s roles are in the society as they move and shake the whole world through their reportage.
Akinlosotu who recognizes the roles played by them as the fourth Realm of the Estate in the Country who project to the whole world. In his words, ” Your role are very important in the society, I regard you and I thank you. I am asking you to tolerate me as I am going to be learning from you seriously. If there is anything that I yarn for, that is number one goal is to succeed as the Commissioner for information and Orientation and I can not do it without you. Please hold my hands “.
In furtherance, Akinlosotu appealed to the Journalists not to let him down as the commissioner and he appealed to them to promote the state in a positive manner to the world, as the state belonged to all of us. He said the image we portray to the world is what people would use to judge us. He said orientation is about image and branding therefore Journalists in the state own it as duties to promote the brand of the state well at all times. His words ” Orientation is about image branding, we have to look at that side too. How do you want us to portrait the image of Ondo State? How do you want those outside world to see Ondo State? Do you want them to see Ondo State as a dead state or as a living state that would be better for all of us?
Similarly, the Commissioner said we have ghetto every where across the world but most of the Journalists in the advanced countries like United States of America would never report those ugly stories that will tarnish the image of their country, instead they promote the good side of the country to the world in order to drive foreign investors that would boost their economy.
He said reverse is the case here in Africa as most of the Journalists do project the ugly sides of the country to the world and according to him most bad image are working against us in Africa. He therefore appealed to them to decide which image we want to paint about the government of Ondo State, the city of Ondo State, the towns in the state and what goes on in the state to the world. He said it has to be a choice for us to choose.
He applauded the efforts of the current Governor Lucky Orimisan Ayedatiwa on how he has been taking care of the people of Ondo State within the short period he assumed office through the regular payment of the salaries and pension to the workers in the state. He also talked about the approval given to recruit teachers to teach in our various schools and some of the things the Governor had been doing in this moment.
However, the commissioner asked for good reportage about the Government from the Journalists. He said the responsibilities of the pen pusher was to encourage the Governor by painting him positively to the world. He said they should let the world see the good things he’s doing as we are going to the election in the state. He said Journalists should portray APC government as the government of the people by the people and for the people in the area of good development to the world. The commissioner said we are going to help him to succeed and he begged the Journalists to be on his sides to make the government succeed.
Akinlosotu thanked the NUJ members for the warm reception and he promised not to take them for granted and not to forget them. He said he could assure them of his cooperation, openness and that the state would do everything humanly possible to promote them and the profession and that is what we stand for.He said we were one family and that Family don’t fight against families.
Present at the event were the Chairman of the union, Prince Leke Adegbite, the vice Chairman Akeem Gbadamosi, the CPS to the Governor Lucky Orimisan Ayedatiwa Prince Ebenezer Adeniyan, the PS of the Ministry of Information and Orientation Mrs Akosile and host of others.
