Delta State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Charles Aniagwu (middle), the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, Mr. Olisa Ifeajika, and the Special Assistant to the Governor on Media, Mr. Nduka Omodon, during a press briefing in Government House, Asaba. Wednesday 15/7/20.
ASABA/Nigeria: Media practitioners in Delta have been called upon to stick to the ethics of journalism in their reportage and eschew speculative and fictitious reporting.
The Commissioner for Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu, made the call on Wednesday in Asaba, while reacting to reports of falsehood trending in the social media deliberately intended to malign senior government officials in the state.
Aniagwu, who particularly made reference to one of such reports, told journalists that the linking memos to the Permanent Secretary, Directorate of Government House and Protocol, was outright misrepresentation by the online reporter, and said that memos were public documents.
He stated that the administration of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa was anchored on transparency, accountability and due process, emphasising that no government operated verbally but with memos and other vital documents.
“We need to bring certain development to your notice. We have observed that there appears to be some hirelings, particularly in social media.”
“You will recall that sometime last year, I hinted to you that there are individuals who have become tools and are always willing to write and communicate issues that are, by every sense of imagination, at variance with the realities of the moment.
“At that time, if you would recall and even up till this moment, I did say that no malicious publication would deter the government from the goals that the governor had set for the administration, which at this point, is aimed at building a Stronger Delta.”
“They wouldn’t deter us from this line nor are we going to be distracted by such report.
“We have observed in the last three weeks or a month that these same elements have gone ahead to take advantage of the privilege that they have in the social media to begin to write about memos that were used for the purpose of governance in the last five years.
“Let me make it abundantly clear that the business of government and the business of private sector operator are usually run via memos because you must communicate (write) for the purpose of evidencing what you are asking the government to do, because the money has to be accounted for.
“We don’t run the government verbally,” Aniagwu added.
He commended journalists in the state for their support to the Okowa administration, and solicited the sustenance of the “robust’’ relationship between the media and the state government.
