Kogi Deputy Governor Declares 2020 Nigeria Senate Press Corps Retreat Open in Lokoja »

Deputy Governor of Kogi State, Chief Edward Onoja earlier today declared open the 2020 edition of Nigeria Senate Press Corps Retreat at the Government House Banquet Hall in Lokoja, the state capital.

He represented Governor Yahaya Bello at the event.

Delivering the keynote address, the Chairman, Senate committee on media, who is also the representative of the Senate President Ahmed Lawan at the retreat, Senator Ajibola Bashir expressed the gratitude of the Senate to the state government for providing a conducive environment for the retreat, noting that it was a proof of harmony amongst the various organs of government, and called for continuous collaboration between the state and the national assembly on the field of democratic romance.

Senator Bashir said beyond information dissemination, the media plays a very critical role in democratic development by acting as watch dogs to those in government, hence the need for training and capacity development to ensure that they are in cue to necessary resources and wherewithal to discharge their duties effectively.

He said past deliberate interference of the military in the country’s democratic system has left the national assembly under-reported, hence the need for proactive reporting from the media as partners in progress. He added that the need for periodic training for parliamentary reporters becomes imperative in view of the wide spread fake news and the need to bring accurate news about parliamentary activities down to the people at the grassroots.

Whiles assuring that the national assembly will not relent in carrying out her constitutional responsibility, the lawmaker called on the Nigerian press to continue to partner with the national assembly in ensuring democratic progress by upholding the principles of fairness, objective and balance in their reportage.

In his remark, the Chairman, Senate Press Corps, Mr. James Itodo, said this year’s Senate Press Corps Retreat is unique in terms of venue, time and theme.

Itodo noted that the choice of Kogi State was unique in that the state represents the Confluence of Opportunities and it symbolizes the core and hope of the country, especially now that Nigeria just celebrated 60 years of nationhood.

He said there couldn’t be a better time to discuss Nigeria, particularly the democratic aspect of the journey of nationhood in the last 21 years, hence the theme; Democracy and Development In A Federation: The Roles of Media, States and Parliament.

Itodo said the retreat will involve brainstorming sessions on the need for a symbiotic relationship between democracy and development in Nigeria as obtainable in many developed countries of the world. This he believes would help in repositioning the country on the path of greatness.

The Corps will also make on-the-spot assessment and reportage of series of completed and ongoing projects under the New Direction Government of Governor Yahaya Bello.

Declaring the retreat open on behalf of the governor, the Deputy Governor of Kogi State, Chief Edward Onoja while welcoming the team to the state applauded the Press Corps for the critical role in sustaining democracy in Nigeria by amplifying the activities of representatives at the highest level of legislation and also dissect information to the general public.

He said Governor Yahaya Bello is a media friendly governor who understands the role of media in democratic development. He said the leadership of the governor in the last four years has been that of foresight and a dogged determination to repositioning the state on the path of development.

“Before the emergence of the New Direction Government in 2016, Kogi was rated as the kidnap capital of Nigeria. Our highways witnessed a steady increase daily kidnapping and armed robbery. Four years later, highway and bank robberies have been limited only to history books. Even though we are yet to completely eradicate the case of kidnapping, the numbers have drastically reduced.”

He went further to say that Governor Yahaya Bello has displayed leadership in several spheres of governance and broken jinxes in many ways, particularly the ending of youth and women marginalization in politics by creating platforms for young people to participate in the decision making processes of the state, notably amongst which is the recent unprecedented decision to make women the vice chairpersons of the 21 Local Government Areas of the state.

Onoja commended the National Assembly and President Muhammadu Buhari for giving life to the Not Too Young To Run law, expressing strong believe that the law will take full and practical effect in 2023 when the country will have another opportunity to elect it’s national leaders.

While calling on the media to uphold its principle of accurate and fair reportage, the Deputy Governor assured the team of adequate security throughout their retreat.