Commissioner for Information and Orientation in Bayelsa State, Jonathan Obuebite, has appealed to journalists in the state to support the administration of Governor Seriake Dickson, disclosed that the government will operate an open door policy in the dissemination of information to the media and the general public.
Obuebite, while addressing newsmen in Yenagoa on Monday, April 18, 2016, noted that the ministry, under his watch, would get a facelift.
He said the governor has set up a “crack team, who are all ready to do the needful and bring smiles on the faces of the people of our dear state.”
The Commissioner therefore pleaded “with all Bayelsans to support this government, so that, we can collectively place the State on a fast lane of development.”
He disclosed that the government was doing everything possible to “ensure that we complete all the ongoing projects that we started in the first term and continue to provide security and other basic amenities.”
Obuebite further urged members of the press “to show some level of understanding by ensuring that, stories concerning this government are objectively reported.”
He assured them that “as a government, we will never gag you neither are we going to influence your reports, but we will be very pleased that you seek clarifications and get our own side of every subject matter that relates to the government, before going ahead to publish or broadcast.”
The Commissioner said “this appeal is necessary, because of the way most of our people react to negative stories.”
“I want to assure you that, for us in this ministry, our doors will always be open and in the days to come, we will create social media platforms for quick information dissemination. The idea is to give you access to government policies, as they unfold before the full details emerge. We will also engage you regularly and no holds bare interactive session for you to objectively criticize us,” he said.
He said, “For as far as our finances can carry us, we will ensure the training and retraining of our personnel to position them at par with their contemporaries within and outside the state and country.”
The Commissioner disclosed that “in the next few weeks, we will also launch some rebranding items to properly project this government in the eyes of the world and by so doing, attract investors. This will be made when all modalities are put in place and His Excellency gives his approval.”
