Stakeholders in the information sector have reiterated the need to deepen ties with relevant organisations to build on the existing success stories of the Lagos State Government.
This was echoed by the delegation of the Photojournalists Association of Nigeria (PJAN) Lagos State Chapter and Republicom Group during their courtesy visit to the Ministry of Information and Strategy on Thursday.
In his remarks, Vice-Chairman of PJAN Lagos State Chapter, Mr. David Adejo, while introducing the newly elected executive members of the association and veterans in the profession to the management of the Ministry, noted that for several decades, PJAN has contributed its quota to the successes of governance in Nigeria through collaborative efforts in daily information dissemination via their various media platforms.
He said, “Hence, our goal is to have a long-lasting synergy with the Ministry of Information and Strategy and by extension, install our media-friendly and pragmatic Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu as our Grand Patron, just like we did for his predecessors”.
Adejo further shared some of their programmes in the pipeline including a proposed photo exhibition as well as the association’s end-of-year symposium slated for December 15, 2023, adding that an MOU has been signed with the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ) to train and certify the youths in the art and science of journalistic photography and would also want to complement the great efforts of the Ministry of Information and Strategy in reaching out to the Citizens with credible information on the programme and projects of the State Government.
Noting that not all journalists are photographers, he urged practitioners in the Ministry to register to become members of PJAN to enjoy the numerous benefits provided by the association.
Also speaking, a member of PJAN and Senior Photo Editor, TELL Magazine Mr. Sunday Adedeji stated that although PJAN came into existence in 1993, this is the first time a woman in the person of Mrs. Alaba Igbaroola would be leading the Lagos State Chapter and implored the management to help in the area of getting invitations to cover more State events.
In her presentation, the Chief Relationship Officer, Republicom Group, Jadesola James-Omitiran explained that the company intends to chart a strategic direction for the Ministry via a civic engagement drive while equally carrying out internal and external audits.
“We intend to identify the model public servant in the civil service. Internally, we want to humanise Lagos State through perception and identify Ambassadors we can work with”, she stated.
On his part, the Managing Director, Rebulicom Group, Mr. Kazeem Abimbola harped on the need to put in place an Internal Culture Transformation for the Ministry in line with the T.H.EM.E.S Plus Agenda, especially in the areas of audit, redefinition of a model public servant, development and execution of internal communications strategy among others.
He, therefore, sought the Ministry’s collaboration and support to achieve the objective, adding they cannot prescribe solutions without input from the stakeholders.
In his response, the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Olumide Sogunle thanked the visiting delegations for extending hands of fellowship to the Ministry, adding that the State Government looks forward to a mutually beneficial partnership between the Ministry and their respective organisations.
While stressing that whatever is written is better spoken and expressed in pictures, Sogunle enjoined PJAN to reach out and work closely with the Lagos State Records and Archives Bureau (LASRAB) for their proposed exhibition while the Republicom Group should also liaise with the Office of Transformation, Creativity and Innovation (OTCI) to further harness partnerships in that regard.
