… Gives reasons for crisis in Nigeria

From: TONY JOHN, Port Harcourt

Governor Nyesom  Wike of Rivers State, has appealed to Nigerians  to call on the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, to stop stoking the ambers of disharmony and divisions in the polity with his  utterances and wild allegations against members of opposition political parties.

The governor also declared that the country was in crisis because  poor governance, nepotism, marginalisation and state-sponsored repression, continued to do violence to national unity and cohesion.

The governor said this, on Thursday, while declaring open the 13th All Nigeria Editors’ Conference 2017, holding in Port Harcourt.

He said: “We are only pretending we think that all is well with our country. The country is in crisis as poor governance, nepotism, marginalization and state-sponsored repression continue to do violence to nation unity and cohesion.

“At times like this, the country needs forthright leadership and consensus building to steer the ship of state from the wrong direction it is headed to safer grounds.

“Nigerians of goodwill must, therefore, call the Minister of Information to stop stoking the ambers of disharmony and divisions in the polity with his irresponsible utterances and wild allegations against members of opposition political parties”.

The governor  pointed out that by his (Mohammed) unguarded  utterances, the Minister of Information had implied  that it was the then  opposition (APC ) that sponsored  Boko Haram  operations during the administration of former President,  Goodluck Jonathan.

The governor noted that the  clamour for political restructuring, fiscal federalism, State police and guarantees for free and fair elections, have never been so  determined across the country.

He said the calls would never go away, pointing  out that it was becoming clearer by the day, that to ignore this call is pretentiously dangerous to the unity and peaceful co-existence of this country.

Wike said: “For some of us, therefore, there is nothing nobler than being counted on this path and as long as God gives us breathe, we shall remain in the trenches fighting for our democratic rights and freedoms until victory is ultimately achieved.

“But, we also believe that this is a fight that should and must be led by the media for full effect and agenda setting. This calls for greater vigilance and courage in giving effective voice to the contending issues and taking personal responsibility for factuality. It can’t be otherwise “.

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Governor Wike regretted that  despite the  monumental achievements  of his administration, the opposition  in the  state had continued to undermine development, with tacit support  from the Federal Government and a politically-inclined police.

He said: “Therefore, when a supposed opposition goes beyond the bonds of decency in conjuring lies to rubbish and undermine every effort of ours to serve and advance the progress of the State, then the media owes society the duty to investigate and expose their mischievous intentions with the facts at their disposal.

“At any rate, those who live in glass houses, they say, should avoid throwing stones. As our representatives in the Federal Government, are they not responsible for attracting development projects to Rivers State?”.

The  governor  outlined  the achievements of his administration, despite inheriting  a state destroyed by the  immediate past administration of Chibuike Amaechi.

Earlier in her address, President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, Mrs. Funke Egbemode, said that this year, the editors would focus on how to reinvent the journalism profession and make it profitable  for practitioners and society.

She said: “This year,  it is all about us,  our profession,  our fate and our economy,  as we navigate the testy thirsty waters that threaten to sweep us into a fast moving current.  This ANEC is for us to access where we are and find a way to safety.

“Ours is a besieged and beleaguered industry.  Both the profession and the professionals are not in a good place right now.  The recession may be receding in other sectors,  but in the media,  hardly so.

“Our recession predates the nationally recognized one.  We have been in a bad place for a long time, and right now,  we all can feel the ground shift under our shaking legs.

“Other sectors get intervention funds and bailouts,  but what do we get?  We are constantly reminded of our social responsibility and our roles in national security”,  Egbemode  noted.

Chairman of the Conference, Mallam Ismaila Funtua, in his opening remarks, urged editors to promote professionalism for the  good of the country.

Publisher of This Day newspapers, Mr. Nduka Obiagbena, called on media managers to develop strong  brands to overcome  the challenge  posed by the existence of the social media.

The 13th All Nigerian Editors’ Conference has as its theme: “”Balancing professionalism, advocacy and business”.

Hundreds of renowned  editors  from the 36 states of the Federation  are in Port Harcourt for the three days Conference.