Positive reportage will encourage progress in Abia – Commissioner

Abia State Commissioner for Information, John Okeiyi Kalu Thursday applauded traditional/mainstream media in the state over fair reportage and effective coverage of the activities of the state.

Okeiyi, who was having a round table media parley/ training with the Correspondents Chapel of Abia State Nigeria Union of Journalists, however, pleaded with newsmen to put in more efforts and report the positive changes going on in the state.

He urged newsmen in the state to try to project the state in a good image to avoid discouraging investors, stating, “Each time a reporter writes a negative story, he stops an investor from coming into the state”.

The state he said has the resources to move itself forward noting, “Until we are able to project a progressive state, there will be no progress in Abia state”.

“Infrastructure is a component of the progress, but what drives progress is business”, he further said, illustrating that with insecurity for instance, no one will be willing to invest in the state.

Regretting that internet reveals about 90% negative reports from Abia, the commissioner stated “once Abia is cued into Google, information on the state is always negative. If Correspondents continuously for two months write positively about the state, perception will change”.

Lamenting further, he said “those who know any good thing about Abia state, do not talk about it but those who know bad things about the state say that”.

Responding the Chairman, Correspondents Chapel, Comrade Emma Ugwu assured the commissioner that newsmen will do their job well and called for unrestricted information by the government to enable the media in the state sensitize the public on the activities of the state government.

He described the commissioner as “a fast thinking and fast acting commissioner”, while commending him over the seminar, which he said was apt.

Also speaking the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information, Elder Agbai Kalu thanked the state commissioner for information over the seminar, while calling for it to be on regular for learning to be practicalized.

In a lecture, a renowned online publisher of Abia facts Newspaper, Iroegbu Emenike stated the need for mainstream media men to be online and internet compliant.

Also in another lecture another online guru, Engr Jeff Kelechi highlighted the critical role of the social media and the urgent need to create convergence fo r social media and mainstream media to create synergy in order to ensure the state moves forward.

By Sunday Nwakanma – Umuahia