Following the civil unrest which surfaced during the #EndSARS protest in Lagos, the association of Conference 57 Chief Press Secretaries across the 57 Local Government Areas and Local Council Development Areas in Lagos State has disclosed her plans to embark on constructive orientation and re-orientation for news dissemination and circulation in the grassroots.
This was disclosed in a statement released by the association earlier today, tagged “the impact of grassroots media as a panacea towards masses orientation for news dissemination and governance across the 57 LGAs and LCDAs for an effective and greater Lagos.
According to the statement which was signed by both the Chairman, Oseni Owolabi Ajimomuya and Publicity Secretary, Fakunle Sheriff, the association commended the efforts of the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu towards ensuring that normalcy and peace is restored in Lagos State after the unfortunate incident.
While the association equally empathized with families of the lost lives during the protest in Lagos and other parts of the country.
“To us as the mouthpiece of the grassroots, we are committed to promoting policies of Lagos State government, especially on the area of re-orientating the masses on the need for the public to shun violence, destruction of public properties and looting of local government secretariats and residents properties by vandals.” The statement read.
“As the mouthpiece of Executive Chairmen across the 57 LGAs’ and LCDAs’ in Lagos State, it has become imperative for our association to embark on constructive orientation and re-orientation for news dissemination being circulated in the grassroots.”
Incidents in Lagos State over the last few weeks have raised the dust of mischief, deliberate manipulations, emotional distrust and political uprising that were fanned under the embers of tribal and religious sentiments.”
“Our major crusade in this regard is to enlighten the masses on the negative impact of fake news across the various platforms of online social media. The recent uprising in Lagos State was enabled by news stories that were diabolical, manipulative and destructive to the sanctity of our basic existence as humans.”
“We shall engage the electorate in the grassroots on the integrity of being objective on matters of national discourse without envisaging the traits of political, ethnic and religious colourations.”
“Lagos State as the commercial centre of Nigeria must not be shortchanged, rob-off from her cultural heritage and the global excellence it has been accorded with, hence, the need to encourage residents of Lagos to participate actively on the economic policies propounded by Mr. Governor after this social unrest.”
“The Lagos state government through Lagos State Employment Trust Fund {LSETF} has set aside a huge sum of money as part of the State’s Small and Medium Scale Enterprise {SME} recovery fund for those whose businesses were vandalized during the ENDSARS peaceful protest hijacked by vandals and arsons. This fund according to the Lagos State agency is in partnership with corporate financial organizations in the state. We urge Lagosians whose business was affected to fill the LSETF portal and file their claims accordingly.”
The association further thanked Asiwaju Tinubu describing him as a mentor and pathfinder.
“And finally, without mincing words; the Conference 57 CPS is using this medium to state firmly our solidarity with our father, pathfinder and transformer of modern day politics in Lagos and Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, national leader of the All Progressives Congress {APC}. Your political philosophy and national legacies towards the attainment of democracy in Nigeria cannot be over-emphasized. And as grassroots media aides, we shall continue to uphold your leadership qualities for the unity of Nigeria before the masses.
“Your compelling personality is politically monumental for petty group of people to manipulate in a twinkling of an eye. Our loyalty to you through our elected local government chairmen has been intensified more than ever in the course of this social unrest, and we are more than ready to propagate your political philosophies beyond the barriers of this shore for a better, stronger and progressive Nigeria.”
