By Bamidele Michael.
Veteran broadcaster, Dr. Tom Adaba has cautioned Governor Yahaya Bello’s media handlers against the use of hate language when responding to critics.
Adaba, who was former Director General of National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) spoke recently at the 2nd edition of Kogi State NUJ democracy lecture.
He indicated that if the Governor is interested in a second tenure there should be a change of tactics in the approach to critics.
According to him, “The image makers of the Governor should not present him as a demigod who can not make mistakes, they should try as much as possible to avoid using gutter language while responding to critics.”
The image makers of the Governor have been covering up their incompetence by creating imaginary enmity between the Governor and the mainstream media in the state by promoting the social media higher and above the conventional media that obeys ethics of the profession.
However, the social media has been fighting back as it has created more troubles for the Governor than the positive effects its promoters seek to have achieved.
Adaba said the major functions of the image makers is to win friends for the Governor rather than making more enemies for him.
In the same vein, a veteran journalist Tunde Ipinmiso said the language of government communication is supposed to be matured, tamed and regulated with a view to winning friends for government.
“God forbid that we have a Government that will never be criticised, but when criticisms come government treat them in their stride and in responding you must demonstrate maturity.
“I express my worry at the kind of the language of communication that emanate from the Government House in Lokoja, you know it is aggressive, as if they want to engage in a fight at all times and my position is when your opponent is in the gutter you don’t fall into the gutter to fight him because any on looker will see you both as being the same.”
He cautioned the Governor to encourage his media handlers to operate at a level that will win more friends for him devoid of combating, aggressive language.
The National President of the NUJ Waheed Odusile commended the Government for some of the projects especially the invisible ones in terms of security where there is visible and tremendous improvement.
He however blamed the Government for the fact that most of the projects that are have been carried out are not known to the media.
“I will lay that blame at the feet of the Government. Now that we have been there we should tell the whole world what the Government has done in Kogi State.
“I can only appeal to the information managers of the Government to carry everybody in the media along so that their activities would be properly reported for the people of Kogi to know what the Government is doing.
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