Imoke calls for effective strategy to sell govt agenda
Effective communication strategy has been described as a veritable tool which could be used to sell the various reform agenda of the Federal Government to the populace to receive encouraging response.
Governor Liyel Imoke of Cross River State made the assertion while receiving the Minister of Information, Mr. Labaram Maku and Minister of National Planning, Dr. Shamsuddeen Usman during a courtesy call in Calabar, stressing that there is need to understand and explain the position of strategic planning of the economic policies as well as President Goodluck Jonathan’s transformation agenda and the ability to communicate them to the people.
According to him, while communicating the agenda, it is necessary and proper to ensure that the people are adequately informed and commended the Minister of Information in his effort to do what he referred to as, ‘unprecedented’, adding that the stakeholders retreat on governments’ development agenda in Calabar is of critical importance for a strong partnership between the Federal Ministry of Information and the National Planning Commission.
Governor Imoke described it as one of the greatest and vibrant strategies to get the society, through the media to deliver the message effectively, as the time has come to rise to the occasion as well as understand its effects because communication technology has made it possible for the man in the rural area to be as enlightened as the one in the urban centre, advising that the Ministry of Information should be proactive in the method of communication but also explore other methods including social communication network like Facebook which was not there few years ago
He hoped participants would leave the state more informed after the retreat about the transformation agenda of President Jonathan, adding that with the presence of members of the National Assembly in the programme, legislators will be adequately informed so that they can articulate their positions while the outcome of the retreat will be a practical example of vision and hope and beneficial to the people as they contribute to the economy of the nation.
The Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku said their mission at the retreat was to deliberate on economic reforms as introduced by President Jonathan especially the one concerning the concept of deregulation in the oil sector which has not been well presented to the populace, adding that the withdrawal of oil subsidy which being proposed by the President is aimed at creating economic empowerment.
Mr. Maku said the purpose of the retreat is to sell the idea to the people while emphasizing of the need to reform the economy with the full participation of the media.
He, however commended the state for being peaceful as well as the effort of the governor to raise it to its present level, which has attracted national activities and hoped other state’s especially in the Northern part, would emulate Cross River State
According to him, infrastructural development is the key to development and peace and security should not be left to the police and other security agencies as all should be involved as stakeholders..
The Minister of National Planning Commission, Dr. Shamsuddeen Usman disclosed that the retreat was jointly organized by Federal Ministry of Information and the Commission while participants were drawn from government and private media, noting that development is targeted at improving the lives of the people while the retreat was to make sure the public understands and accepts the reforms in line with the philosophy of the Federal Government.
Dr. Usman hoped the deliberation would be carried along by everybody as a new reform strategy through the contributions of states and federal government which is target
