Bayelsa State council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has launched a N50 million library complex appeal fund with Governor Seriake Dickson donating N10 million on behalf of the state government.
The two-pronged event, which held at the Ernest Ikoli Press Centre, Yenagoa, the state capital, also included a lecture titled – The effects of rumour on good governance: The Bayelsa experience, was delivered by Anefiok Udoudo.
Dickson, who was represented by Markson Fefegha, the state commissioner for information, orientation and strategy, presented the keynote address, saying the state government would support the efforts of the NUJ to expand the frontiers of education.
He said the library project was in line with the policy of the state government to build a knowledgeable economy, and announced a donation of N10 million for the building that would also house offices for the Federated Correspondents’ Chapel (FCC), National Association of Women Journalists, and classes for the International Institute of Journalism (IIJ).
The governor described the event as unique, as it was coming at a time the state government had set up a Public Information Management Committee to work towards minimising the spate of damaging rumours in the state. Earlier, the chairman of the occasion, Robert Enogha stressed the need for government to support the NUJ in its onerous task of educating, entertaining and informing the people.
A former member of the state House of Assembly and chairman, House Committee on Information, Enogha said he had to leave other pressing engagements to be present for the NUJ event due to the importance he attached to the media.
Tarinyo Akono, the state chairman of the NUJ, in his welcome address, disclosed that the lecture was to hold last December but was put off due to the tragic incident of the helicopter crash at Okoroba in Nembe Local Government Area.
Presenting the lecture, Udoudo, who highlighted the effects of rumour but pointed out that it was an important tool used by journalists for information gathering, who refer to it as ‘grapevine,’
SAMUEL ESE, Yenagoa
that oftentimes the inability of information managers to release appropriate information gave rise to rumours.
