Wike Urged to Create Information and Communication Secretariat

By: Wisdom Acka

Information officers in the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) have appealed to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, to bring to fruition the creation of the long overdue Information and Communication Secretariat.

They recalled that the only time, attempts were made at establishment of that critical Secretariat was tail-end of Sen. Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed as FCT Minister.

The FCTA Information staff spoke under the aegies of NUJ-FCTA Chapel during an exclusive chat with Abuja Digest on Friday at the FCTA Secretariat, Area 11, Garki.

Speaking on behalf of the group, the Chapel Chairman, Ngozi Ufomba, hailed the Minister’s “unprecedented achievements borne out of bold and courageous decision-making abilities.”

Ufomba noted that as a jinx breaker, it was only Wike that could braze the odds and upgrade the FCTA’s Information and Communication Department into a full fledged Secretariat and set it apar with what’s obtainable in the 36 states of the federation.

“You know, Secretaries are to the FCT what Commissioners are to the States; unfortunately, the head of information in the FCT is a Director, instead of Secretary, this disparity does not auger well for us at all levels”, she decried.

She argued that, considering the importance of information dissemination about government programmes and projects in the FCT, particularly in the wake of increased menace of fake news with its attendant negative impact on the FCT residents and Nigerians.

The NUJ-FCTA chapel boss also disclosed that the chapel’s newly elected EXCO has embarked on series of familiarization visits to critical offices, to solicit support for establishment of the Information and Communication Secretariat, particularly at a time the Minister was carrying out wide ranging reforms to reposition the FCTA for maximum performance.

Ufomba stressed that the FCT Administration would, like never before, require to boost its Information Services; suggesting that the establishment of the Secretariat was the surest way forward.

Disclosing that her team had visited and solicited support of the FCT General-Counsel and Secretary, Legal Services Secretariat, Barrister Salman Dako, Ufomba urged all those who mean well for the development of the nation’s capital to lend their support, in whatever way they could, the creation of Information and Communication Secretariat.