Governor Sheriff Oborevwori on Tuesday, urged media practitioners to remain united and focused on fair and objective reporting for credibility as watchdogs of the society. The governor made the statement during a courtesy visit from the State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), led by the State Chairman, Comrade Michael Ikeogwu at Government House, Asaba.
Oborevwori commended journalists in the state for their support during the 2023 general election in the state.
“Let me thank the Delta State Council of the NUJ for their support before, during and after the election. Even with all the blackmail, NUJ still had confidence in me; I appreciate you for that.
“I want to sincerely appeal to you to be professional and abide by the ethics of your profession. Going forward, you need to remain united, promote peace, and love amongst yourselves”, the governor said.
Oborevwori further stated that he would appoint people with the capacity to deliver, not necessarily on political patronage.
“I have made statements several times concerning the issue of appointments. I have stated that we are going to bring in people with capacity.
“We will pick from the young ones, middle-aged and also experienced ones; the experienced ones will help teach the young ones. So be rest assured that we will do our best to bring people with capacity in order to deliver on our M.O.R.E agenda.
“I want to assure Deltans that as Governor, I want to be a Governor for all Deltans and you can see that all the appointments I have given out so far, my local government has not even gotten one.
“This is to show to people that I am a Governor for all Deltans. So please, I count on your support as we make progress. All the ethnic nationalities will be carried along and people with capacity will be given positions.”
The governor also had fruitful discussions on the public power supply challenges faced by the State-owned ‘POINTER’ Newspaper and the NUJ Press Centre from which the body operates from.
He used the opportunity to assure the delegation of his commitment to sustainable partnership with the Union in promoting the M.O.R.E Agenda of this administration.
Also in attendance was his Deputy, Sir Monday Onyeme and other top Government functionaries
Earlier, Comrade Ikeogwu, congratulated the governor on his successful inauguration into the office. He also commended the governor for appointing a respected member of the Union, Sir Festus Ahon as his Chief Press Secretary.
However, the union urged the governor to appoint men and women with proven track records of performance, irrespective of political parties, ethnic background or religious inclination.
“Your Excellency, we urge you to embark on programmes and policies that will usher in massive investments for the industrialisation of our state so as to engage our mass unemployed youths.
“Create the enabling environment that will attract investors and invest in the abundant resources that abound in our dear state.
“Look critically in areas where we have a comparative advantage in terms of natural resources and deploy strength and energy towards attracting the international community.
“As members of the pen profession, we wish to assure you of our unalloyed support for your administration and avowed commitment towards promoting your M.O.R.E. mantra,” he said.
