“You Are Nation Builders, project positive image of South East; Nigeria” – Deputy Speaker Kalu tells media men.

The Editor, Umuahia

The deputy speaker of the House of Representatives,Rt Hon. Benjamin Kalu has called on Online Media Practitioners Association of Nigeria(OMPAN) and other media practitioners in the country to promote areas of government that attract investments for the advancement of the zone and nation.

The deputy speaker came up with this during his maiden media interaction with bloggers under the auspices of Online Media Practitioners’ Association of Nigeria (OMPAN) in Umuahia on Saturday.

He observed that many great nations of the world were built by the media through their engaging and soul searching analysis and reports of the critical sectors of their economies.

Hon. Kalu described media practitioners as critical stakeholders who play important role in the development of the society and urged members of OMPAN and other media practitioners in the country to join hands in the task of nation building.

He enjoined all to use the various online and offline media platforms to market the south east in particular and Nigeria in general.

He further urged the media to hold public office holders accountable through investigations and rich conversations in order to make them sit up in their various assignments.

The deputy speaker however cautioned against false reportage in order to gain traffic to one’s site, saying that criticisms should be constructive with the aim of correction.

“My desire is to work closely with you so that we can sell the South East positively and Nigeria to the world. Stop looking for bad news to get traffic, the more you publish the bad news, the more you scare away the investors.” Sell the State ,sell the nation, talk about good things and project them, sell the good aspect of our leaders and do not create fear, panic ; that is what I noticed journalists are doing these days.”

According to him, poorly researched reports are capable of damaging the south east as well as the nation.

In his words,” You are nation builders. I said so because you put leaders like us on our toes. Make sure as watch dog of the society that you point the right direction on what is needed to be done and I beg of you , do so constructively to avoid churning out pieces of information that can lead to the underdevelopment of the country.

“So , I urge you to learn how to use your job appropriately, criticize constructively and use it for nation building. Put some efforts in what you are doing.

“A good journalist should be interested in investigative journalism and invest in research than hasty conclusion .

He called for collaboration from the media in the struggle to achieve peace in the south east. He said, “We need your help when it comes to peace in the South East, the entire South East has for the first time come together because people are in pursuit of peace, security, unity and you have a role to play to ensure that peace, it is not politics, it has to do with healing the hearts.”

He said his pet project PISE- P is out to achieve peace in the region through non- kinetic means since the use of weapons and force have not been able to achieve it .

“Guns can not fix our broken hearts , barrels of guns can not rebuild the damage infrastructure.Peace in the South East Project (PISE-P) is lobbying for a bigger portion that will bring a bigger picture. Join hands with us and be an advocate of peace in South East.”

He said the project will go into communities that were displaced in the zone and try to bemring people back by rebuilding destroyed markets and other public places. He said when president Tinubu finally signs the south east development commission bill , then the healing process from the civil war effect will begin.

Earlier, the Chairman of Online Media Practitioners Association of Nigeria and leader of the delegation Chief Promise Uzoma Okoro said they came to pay a courtesy visit to the Deputy Speaker House of Representatives to congratulate as well as to interface with him on the area of information and communication.

In his closing remarks,the National president of OMPAN Mr James Emeh expressed appreciation to the Deputy Speaker for the audience given to the association as well as his promise to partner with the Online Media Practitioners Association of Nigeria.