Ogene Solicits Media Support For South East Dev. Comm.

Media practitioners have been urged to promote the newly established South East Economic Development Commission.

Member representing Ogbaru federal constituency of Anambra state, Hon. Victor Afam Ogene made the call in his lecture entitled, “Defining A New Economic And Societal Order: The Role Of The Media” which he delivered at a summit organised by the South East Zone of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) which the theme was “South East: Towards A Robust Blueprint For Sustainable Development” held in Awka, Anambra state on Wednesday.

Ogene who is Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Renewable Energy and leader, Labour Party, LP, Caucus of the House also tasked the media to sensitise electorate in the South East zone against monetisation of those being voted into public positions.

The federal lawmaker’s lecture delivered on his behalf by the Dean of Social Sciences, Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, Professor Collins Okafor.

Though Hon. Ogene in the paper listed several challenges limiting optimal performance of media practitioners citing for instance poor remuneration, harassment and intimidation, poor necessary working tools, censorship by media owners, especially government-owned media organisations, difficulty in sourcing information among others, he, however, urged media professionals to remain resilient in discharging their duties.

The lawmaker bemoaned influence of money in political office recruitment in the South East saying “Coming down to the South East, it’s important to note that the practice of democratic culture remains alarmingly low among the electorate in the South East, where leadership recruitment for political offices is often heavily influenced by monetary considerations.

“To address this, the media must intensify its efforts to sensitize the public, emphasizing the importance of electing candidates with the capacity to deliver good governance for the greater good.

“This shift in focus is crucial to counter the prevalent practice of voters prioritizing personal gains over collective benefits during elections, especially as Anambra election draws near”, he rather advised.

The lawmaker who was honoured with ‘Distinguished Professional Service Award” at the summit stated that the media has not adequately reported on critical issues affecting the South East region.

He, stated, there were scarcity of essential infrastructure, such as roads, particularly in rural areas, insecurity, inadequate health facilities, insufficient public school structures , inadequate teacher training and skills, and, urged media to fight the sad situation.

He also called on the media to promote accountability, expose corrupt public office holders in the region to promote development and progress in the region.

He commended those who contributed to the successful signing into law of the South East Development Commission Act by President Bola Tinubu.

“This is a significant milestone for the region, and I urge the media to play a crucial role in projecting the commission’s work.

He urged the media to educate the people of the South East on the gains of the South East Economic Development Commission which he said was aimed to develop the entire zone.

He advised the media to ensure that the agency of the economic development commission was accountable and adhered to its mandate once established so that it would be beneficial to the people.

National president of the NUJ, Comrade Chris Isiguzo and South East Zone vice-president of the union, Comrade Emma Ifesinachi in their separate addresses praise Hon. Ogene for the various sterling contributions he had made towards promoting good governance in the country.

Comrade Ifesinachi stated that the honour presented to Ogene was to express gratitude to him for his contributions and to encourage other public future political officer holders to emulate him.