Akwa Ibom State State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno.
By Anietie Akpan
The League of Veteran Journalists in Akwa Ibom State has charged the State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno to patronize the state electronic station.
The League, in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Akanimo Sampson on Sunday, said the state government should use more of the state electronic media in promoting its activities than patronising outside television stations.
Rising from its end of year get-together at the Press Centre of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Uyo, at the weekend, the league said, “we are of the view that the government should equip and fund the state broadcasting corporation to compete favourably with those outside the state”.
Chairman of the League, Comrade Sunny Antai, commended Governor Umo Eno for paying retired pensioners in the state promptly.
Antai also commended the governor for instituting the health insurance scheme for pensioners and called for training of more medical doctors who could be posted to health centres to take up health services where they operate health insurance schemes.
While the veteran journalists also commended the leadership of the state council of the NUJ for its effective display of competence in handling its affairs, they advised that the League should be called upon to train the young journalists in various media spaces in Akwa Ibom.
Chairman of the occasion Akparawa Micheal Bush in his speech, encouraged the youths to respect elders at all times and at public events, commending the veterans for staying together always despite the challenges facing them.
He supported the call for the state government to pay closer attention to the elderly and pledged to work together with the League, and the state government for the good of Akwa Ibom..
A retired don of the University of Uyo, who was the guest lecturer, Prof. Des Wilson challenged journalists to keep to the rules of the profession, and charged them to be “cautious, comprehensive, maintain concord, be simple and give complete reports always.”
He encouraged the League to set up a panel to work out modalities for who should be addressed as a veteran especially in regards to age, adding, “the panel should determine the age for who should be accepted as a veteran, whether from 60 or 65 years.”
The event attracted mostly the fathers of the journalism profession, and played host to a prime trainer like Prof. Wilson, Michael Bush, the NUJ cchairman, Nsibiet John, who was represented by his vice, and a former NUJ chair in the state, Akparawa Ikpong Essien-Udom.
A former Information Commissioner and ex-General Manager of the NTA, Uyo, Mrs. Christy Obot, also graced the occasion.
