Ambode tasks body of community media on fairness

Lagos State governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, has urged community media practitioners to be diligent in fair, balance and accurate reportage of their communities.

While assuring them of its unrelenting support, he further tasked community media publishers to be a voice of unity and not division in their communities.

Ambode made this known last week at the gala and award evening of the Association of Practitioners of Community Media in Nigeria (APCOM), which held at Adam and Eve, GRA Ikeja.

He was represented by the Special Adviser on Community and Communications, Hakeem Sulaimon.

Also, in its bid to raise the bar in grassroots coverage, the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has said it will include community media practitioners into its capacity development programmes for newsmen.

President of NUJ, Lagos State Chapter, Mr. Qasim Akinreti, made the disclosure at the event.

Akinreti said the objective of the current administration of NUJ is to ensure that professional level in journalism is raised, with the community media houses included.

“The community media is the closest to the people and deserves and should be properly managed, equipped to match the highest standards.”

He noted that the capacity training programmes slated for the end of academic sessions at Nigeria Institute of Journalism (NIJ) would welcome the participation of grassroots reporters.

“We are doing all within our best to grow the industry, which is dying because of lack of management of resources, particularly the interest of the community.”

For president of APCOM, Mr. Dayo Akintobi, the community media should draw attention to the grassroots, remain an eye of the government and listen to the voice of the communities.

He also challenged other states to dedicate a day award for community award to recognise the local media.

Noting that recognition is the only honour a practitioner can get, Akintobi used the occasion to urge grassroots media to match up to the standards, or risk forfeiture of authentication stamp of the association.

Awardees of the night include Ambode; Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Kehinde Bamigbetan; Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Oriwu Sun, Chief (Alhaji) Monzor Olowosago and Jim Suleiman, publisher of The Commoners, amongst others.