The Cross River State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Pastor Ekpenyong Ene Cobham, has charged information managers in the Media and Communications cluster to justify their positions by actively and consistently publicising the achievements recorded under the administration of Governor Senator Prince Bassey Edet Otu.
Speaking at a maiden cluster meeting with Media and Communications Aides to the Governor, the Commissioner said the volume of development recorded by the Otu administration across infrastructure, education, health, agriculture and other sectors demanded a corresponding level of visibility, and that anything less amounted to a disservice to the Government and the people of Cross River State.
"You must earn your pay," the Commissioner told the gathering, urging information managers to move beyond routine reporting, take ownership of content creation, and tell the story of governance in the State.
He described the administration's record as unprecedented and said it was the duty of every media and communications aide to ensure that record reached the public in clear, timely and compelling terms, and to counter the false narratives being peddled against the Government in some quarters.
The Commissioner further charged the aides to deepen synergy and collaboration among members of the cluster for the common good of the State and its citizenry, and pledged to address, within his purview, some of the challenges raised during the meeting.
Responding, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity and Chief Press Secretary, Mr Linus Obogo; the Special Adviser on Content Development and Archiving, Ms Beatrice Akpala; and the General Manager of the Cross River Broadcasting Corporation (CRBC), Mr Sam Nsor, all assured the Commissioner of closer working relations going forward.
The aides including Ekanem Essien commended the Commissioner's charge, describing it as a timely reminder of the responsibility that comes with the office.
By Nakanda Iyadim
