Uba Sani, governor of Kaduna state, says some unscrupulous elements whose interests are alien to majority rule have been working assiduously to derail the country’s hard won democracy.
Speaking while declaring opened the 48th edition of the National Council on Information And National Orientation on Friday in Kaduna, Sani accused them of manipulating Nigerians and creating disunitypoliticising virtually everything “They have been de-marketing our country and giving it a negative image in the international community.
“We must watch them closely and devise strategic communication strategies to counter their divisive and negative narratives,” the governor said.
According to him, President Bola Tinubu assumed office at a trying time in the nation’s history as he inherited a near comatose economy.
He said the President has anunenviable task of initiating and implementing far-reaching measures to prevent the Nigerian economy from collapse.”
The governor said, “Because of global economic meltdown and years of mismanagement in Nigeria, fixing our economy requires time and sustained re-engineering.
“That is why Mr. President has come up with innovative and creative solutions to reinvent the economy and put our nation irreversibly on the path to sustainable growth and development.
‘’Although some of the measures have been painful, they are being implemented with good intentions for the greater good of the Nigerian people.
“As a father of the nation, President Tinubu has continued to renew our hope in the possibilities of the Nigerian nation.”
Sani said information managers have a responsibility to effectively communicate the President’s Reform Agenda to Nigerians by fashioning out a robust communications strategy to carry out this important task.
‘’We must give the people the background to the reforms, what it is all about, and the benefits therein.
“We must be patient with the people and break things down for them. Messages should be crafted in a way that takes care of the peculiarities of different audiences. “We need the buy-in of the people in what we do. The people are our pillar of support, ” Sani said.
He noted that the ‘’history of Nigeria cannot be written without a prominent mention of information managers or the Nigerian media which was in the forefront for the battle against the colonialism.
“I am a product of the struggle. I was in the trenches with key media personalities and information managers as we struggled to restore democracy to our country.
‘’We therefore have a stake in this democracy and must do all in our power to consolidate and defend it.
“We have viewed with grave concern how elements whose interests are alien to majority rule have been working assiduously to derail the country’s hard won democracy,” Sani said.
He noted that the meeting with the theme “Enhancing Public Information Management for Inclusive Governance: Renewed Hope in Focus” is apt.
‘’It not only reminds us of the critical role that information plays in democratic societies, but is reflective of our commitment to a process – led and participatory approach to governance.
‘’Effective public information management is crucial for promoting transparency, accountability, and citizen participation in governance,’’ he added.’
Speaking earlier, when Mohammed Idris, Minister of Information, paid him a courtesy visit at the Government House, Sani
Speaking during the courtesy call, decried the degeneration of moral and cultural values in Nigeria and called on the council to tackle it frontally.
“Moral rejuvenation is key to reinventing our country and placing it on the path to sustainable growth and development,” the governor said.
