5 June 2019
The eminent role the media and information sector plays in a successful government can not be over emphasized as any government who seeks to be rated high needs an effective and efficient information and publicity management team. This team has the responsibility to rightly communicate government's policies and programs to her citizen using the possible best and most effective tools and channels for each message.
Any government who condones a lackadaisical information or communication ministry or team is naturally doomed for failure in the eyes of the populace. On the other hand, failure to effectively utilize the strength of the sector may result in damaging consequence to the government.
The information sector of Cross River State is headed by the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, with professional support from the General Managers of the state's media outfits, the office of the chief press secretary to the governor and other media aides.
In chronicling the performances of the above listed information outlets of the government in the past four years, one is left to ponder what role the state's information Ministry really played? Being the leader of the state media cluster.
The Ministry of Information can not exonerate itself on how the sector fared in the just concluded first tenure of Prof. Ben Ayade. Obviously, the ministry's statutory function is to ensure effective and efficient operation of the state's media outfits, make favorable recommendations to the governor on what is needed to ensure good performance in the state media sector.
The near failure performance of the sector can not be unconnected to the ministry's lack of collaborative effort for a collective development of the sector.
This is a clear case of the inability of the manager to manage his or her management team.
Cross Riverians must remain grateful to the immediate past Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr Christian Ita, the general manger of Cross River Broadcasting Corporation, Dr Mrs Teresa Essien, Special Assistant Electronic Media, Miss Beatrice Akpala and the governor's new media team. Their respective effort must be commended by all and sundry.
Furthermore, any interested parties in the case of the state of Cross River Broadcasting Corporation and the state's newspaper outfit, should know that the maladies of these outfits didn't start during the Ayade's led administration.
Cross River Broadcasting corporation has always been used as a ground for political reward by past administrations, either by the appointment of general managers or the purchase of equipment. One would recall how the station's current outside broadcast equipment were bought nearly eighteen years ago.
Please note, during a transition period like this the bank accounts of MDA's are frozen, as such CRBC cannot access funds to run the station. The governor's openness and media friendly disposition has even birthed four privately owned radio stations in the space of four years.
This shows that with proper recommendations from Ministry of Information to the governor on the effectiveness of the state's media outfits, the likes of Cross River Broadcasting Corporation and the state Newspaper Corporation would have done better.
In conclusion, the governor in appointing a new Commissioner of Information and Orientation must extract a commitment of a better synergy between the commissioner's office and the state media clusters. The senseless infighting between the information cluster of the state must stop.
The state's information managers and media agencies must be positioned to compete comfortably with privately owned media outfits in the state.
Jide Daniel, a writer and an activist for good governance.
