By Obansa Ibrahim, Lokoja
The Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, has reaffirmed the state government’s dedication to advancing the skills of State information officers in various ministries through consistent training and retraining initiatives.
He stated this on Monday at the ongoing training workshop and capacity-building session for State ministries information officers in Lokoja, Kogi State.
Fanwo noted that the goal of the training is to equip these information officers in various ministries to counteract misinformation about their ministries which in turn affects the government especially fake news, which he warned could have detrimental effects on society if unchecked.
He also expressed appreciation to Gov. Usman Ododo for prioritizing the information sector, mobilizing resources, and making such capacity-building workshops possible.
Similarly, the training Director, Majeed Dahiru, stated that traditional media is being challenged by new media, hence the need to upscale the skills of information officers to function well at this critical moment.
He further emphasized that the training will build the capacity of the participants and enhance their reporting skills to effectively report government’s policies and programmes.
“Our intention is to ensure that those who tell our story tell the story accurately, timely and with the best language. I want to assure you that we will continue to pay attention to your welfare” he stated.
Speaking at the occasion , the Director General, Kogi State Broadcasting Corporation, Hajiya Nana-Hauwa Yusuf , urged the participants to the advantage of the training to improve on their jobs by ensuring that government activities are not under reported.
Highlights of the workshop featured insightful sessions by Dr. Austin Maho, Publisher Day Star Newspaper who discussed “Making the Media Work for You” by focusing on strategies to leverage media effectively for impactful public messaging, and Dr. Bunmi Agbana, of Federal University Lokoja ,(FUL), who spoke on “Towards Effective Government Communication,” highlighting the importance of clear, transparent, and cohesive communication to build public trust.