Delta State inaugurates evaluation committee for The Pointer

The Delta State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Patrick Ukah, has inaugurated a committee in Asaba to review and establish the career progression of all middle and senior management staff of Delta Printing and Publishing Company Limited (DPPCL), publishers of The Pointer newspapers. Ukah advised the committee members to uphold integrity and put frivolities aside in order to find lasting solution to the issues facing the establishment.

The commissioner said cases of petitions bothering on marginalisation of staff at the state-owned newspaper was a major concern to government and urged members of the committee to diligently discharge their duties without fear or favour in order to make decisions that would help reposition the establishment for greater efficiency and productivity in a peaceful environment.

Ukah urged the team, which has one month to conclude its assignment, to peruse the files and relevant documents of all middle and senior management staff of The Pointer and draw up a seniority list of members of staff.

Committee chairman, Mr. Chike Iloba Nwodi, promised that they would perform their duties with total commitment for peace to reign in the establishment. Other committee members include Mr. Wesley Charles as Secretary, while Mr. Patrick Ojeblenu, Mr. Smart Jikeme, Mr. Frank Apokwu and Mr. Dona Obuseh.

In another development, Ukah asked members of the Association of Community Newspaper Publishers of Nigeria (ACNPN) in the state to brand and package their publications for their own interest and the general good of the state. Ukah made the call when a delegation of community newspaper publishers recently paid him a courtesy visit in his office in Asaba.

The Information Commissioner said he was aware of the critical role they could play in information dissemination and challenged the publishers never to relent in their duties. He tasked them to have a statistics of the frequency of their publications and their scope of circulation.

While calling on the publishers to support the state governor in fulfilling his campaign promises to Deltans, Mr. Ukah pointed out that the current administration was accountable and prudent in the management of available resources.

Convener of the meeting, Comrade Prince Orhomonokpaye, said the visit was to draw the community newspaper publishers closer to government. Orhomonokpaye, who lauded Mr. Ukah for his rapport with community newspaper publishers, stressed that the group was glad to have played a critical role, through its grassroots information dispensation, in ensuring the victory of Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa in the last governorship election.The group later presented a birthday gift to Ukah in commemoration of his birthday.