– Acknowledges Uzodinma’s Image Badly Battered
– Implores Journalists To Soften Up, Save His Job
Worried by backlash from colleagues and other top government officials over his inability to properly manage the governor’s image despite what he described as the concerted efforts of government to dispense dividends of democracy, particularly in the area of infrastructure, the Commissioner for Information, Declan Emelumba held a meeting with newspapers publishers in the state last week.
The meeting, according to one of the Publishers present was convened by Emelumba to beg the Publishers to refrain from publishing negative reports that have reportedly contributed so much to the his principals very poor image and plummeting goodwill among people.
It was gathered that Commissioner Emelumba, who has from the time he assumed office been at logger heads with journalists and other media practitioners, pleaded with the Newspaper Publishers to step down reports that tend to reflect the huge amounts of money that currently accrue to the 27 Local Government Councils in the State. This, he said is capable of inciting the people against the state government.
According to Emelumba, “much as every newspaper has the right to publish whatever it deems necessary, I plead that they help me save my job by not being harsh and hard on the Uzodinma administration. I also implore you to channel all potential negative reports about the Uzodinma administration to my office before publication”.
Chief Emelumba allegedly gave each of the newspaper publishers a huge sum of money and promised that the fund will be regular.
