My achievements, Yobe State, under-reported by media, Gov Buni laments

Yobe State Governor, Mala Buni, says his achievements and the activities of the state are under-reported by the conventional media.

The governor stated this during a parley with the media in Damaturu, the state capital on Wednesday evening. It was his first meeting the media since his election as governor almost four years.

“Yobe is one of the states in the country that is being under reported by the conventional media.

“Recently, someone drew my attention after watching some of our activities on the television and he asked me – you are doing all this and we are not seeing it in the media? I told him yes.

“Actually, Yobe State is one of the states in the country that is being under reported by the media. I don’t know what is wrong and do not know whom to challenge but I think this is the best platform for me to say this,” he said.

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Mr Buni, who said his approach to governance is multi-sectoral, enumerated some areas which his administration has made giant strides even as it tries to settle people displaced following attacks by Boko Haram.

“Of course our approach is multi-sectoral as we are trying to recover from the senseless destruction caused by Boko Haram. We are putting so many things in place to ensure that we settle our people back to their ancestral homes and villages who were displaced.

“We promised to construct primary Healthcare centres in the 178 political wards in the state and we have done 138. We have connected so many towns and villages with electricity but nobody is talking about that. We are building one of the biggest child-maternity complexes in the country but no one is talking about that.

“We just concluded the Yobe International Cargo Airport, we completed Gashua Ultra-Modern Market, Nguru, Damaturu, Potiskum, Buni Yadi. We will soon conduct the ground breaking of that of Geidam because it was hindered by Boko Haram, because of their incessant attacks on the town.

“Gentlemen, what I am saying in essence is also an appeal to you to write what you see. Report what you see. Go there and verify. If it’s a lie, tell the world that we are lying. If we are not lying, equally inform the world about what we have done. Tell the world that it is true.

“By the grace of God, we are going to do more. We know that the moon moves slowly but by day break, it crosses the sky. By the grace of God we will do our best and make Yobeans proud and happy,” the governor said.

Mr Buni noted that his collaboration with the media in reporting his commitment and achievements in government will be anchored on the concept of Islamic journalism by informing the people adequately of his policies and programmes.

He said, “One of the things I learnt earlier in government and administration is that you try and do your best. You cannot finish the work and you cannot satisfy everybody.

“The concept of Islamic journalism which I want to draw your attention to… During Khalif Umar, the governor of Egypt, it was reported that he was not living up to his responsibilities and that there were some instructions which he did not carry out and so was invited to Madina to be questioned.

“In those days, no telling lies, no cutting corners. So Khalif Umar said all the things that he did and he even said he has not done some of the things that the people said he did.

“You are a leader and you are entrusted with the helm of affairs and you have to deliver and so you have to let them know. You cannot keep the things you have done to yourself. Let them know what you have done.

“So that is the concept of Islamic journalism that I am open to. We have to let the citizens know what we have done. And you have to equally let them know what you have not done and at the same time what you intend to do.”

Mr Buni, a former National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), also used the occasion to challenge the traditional media to step up their game or be consumed by the emergence of social media.

“The traditional media needs to do more in discharging their work. As we all know, the coming of social media has taken away the job of the conventional media. You need to live up to expectations or the social media will fill the gap, unfortunately wrongly,” the governor said. “I said wrongly because you are the trained professionals that understand the ethics of the job and you are guided by them, unlike the social media.”

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He added, “The social media today has almost taken over the stage, unregulated and sometimes the conventional media does not live up to expectation or refuses to do what is expected of it to do.

“Of course, if this happens, social media will fill the gap and wrongly because in journalism, there are guiding ethics, regulations and so many other things. In order to protect the norms and values of the profession, we have to live up to expectations as journalists.”

Describing the media as one of the major stakeholders in a democratic dispensation, the governor advised older practitioners to be committed to mentoring the younger ones to take over when they exit the profession.