The Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, ALGON, Cross River State chapter, Hon. Yibala Inyang, has commended Governor Bassey Otu for the political will and determination to revamp the Cross River State Newspaper Corporation, describing the intervention as a major lifeline for the Nigerian Chronicle.
Speaking at the commissioning of the remodelled Newspaper Corporation in Calabar on Friday, Inyang said the intervention would reposition the Chronicle and restore its role as a major source of information and public enlightenment in the state.
He described the newspaper as an important institutional heritage of Cross River State and urged stakeholders to support its revival.
“On behalf of the council chairmen, we want to express our appreciation to our governor for revamping this institutional heritage. It would have been a misnomer for this historic legacy to fizzle out under our watch,” Inyang, who is also the Chairman of Yakurr LGA, said.
He urged the management and staff to justify the investment by upholding professionalism, objectivity and ethical journalism.
“I want to charge the journalists in the Chronicle to justify this monumental investment by the present administration by ensuring that professionalism and objectivity remain the guiding principles of the newspaper,” he said.
The ALGON chairman, who announced a donation of N36 million, called on the 18 local government councils and other stakeholders to support the newspaper through patronage and other legitimate means.
Inyang said the intervention was not merely support for a media organisation but an investment in public information and the preservation of an institution that had served generations of Cross Riverians.
Meanwhile, the state ALGON boss has equally commended the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, CON, for commissioning the South South National Community Food Bank Project in Calabar.
Inyang described the initiative as a demonstration of compassion and responsive leadership aimed at improving the welfare of vulnerable Nigerians.
“At a time of economic challenges, providing access to food for disadvantaged families is a timely and commendable intervention,” ALGON said.
The association appreciated the First Lady for extending the programme to Cross River State and pledged its support and cooperation to ensure that the benefits reach intended beneficiaries at the grassroots.
