Kwara governor Abdulrazaq sends commissioners to media training

Commissioners in Kwara State are currently undergoing training on media ethics and etiquette toward adequate and due representation of government.

The commissioner for communication, Bolanle Olukoji dropped the hint at the correspondent chapel during her familiarisation visit.

She explained that the state government is confidently aware of the positive contributions of the media especially correspondents to the success of Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq’s administration and as such would not take the relationship for granted.

According to her, it was to this end that the government moved to streamline the source of information to the public to media experts in the cabinet as well as to train other professionals but with little or no media experience.

Responding to observations by journalists, she said: “you will agree with me that aside the fact that we are not all gifted equally, while some are vocal others are not. Again, we all have different backgrounds and the state government doesn’t want this to affect the existing relationship with the media, that is why you saw some commissioners not responding to journalists.

“It is in this reality that the government has organized media training for the commissioners to know about ethics and etiquettes of the media so that there won’t be avoidable frictions.”

She added that at the end: “they (commissioners) will know what to say and how to say it.

“We just want to ensure that government is not and will never be misrepresented,” she said.

She however commended the chapel for its support, saying that bulk of the achievements recorded by Governor Abdulrahman could only be for the media friendship.

“You people made Kwara to be very peaceful, it could have been the otherwise if you had chosen to look the other way. I won’t deceive myself, I know the state is fortunate to have you as partners,” she said.

Admitting that there can always be negative reports and the urge or need to write it, she pleaded that journalists should always cross check from her office before going to the press.