By Raphael Ekpang
Honourable (Barr.) Laori Bitrus Kwamoti, representing Numan/Demsa/Lamurde Federal Constituency at the National Assembly has urged the Federal Government of Nigeria to make adequate use of the online media mounted by professional journalists to reach out to its citizens with the information of its policies.
The former speaker of Adamawa State Assembly made the call on Tuesday in Abuja while being honoured by members of the National Assembly New Media Forum (Forum for the online journalists) with the Award of ‘Icon of Transformation’
Hon. Kwamoti said the world is now driven by technology, specifically the age of new media where all the young men and women are always searching for information using their cell phones, therefore, he said online journalists are the agents of change that need to be put to full use in order to provide accurate information to the public.
But, he lamented that the FG is not capitalizing on the trend, by ensuring that online journalists flush out the negative information that has occupied the space over time and represent it with credible information about the country and its policies.
“You (Online Journalists) are agents of change. We are in the age of new media where young ones can pick their phones and search for information on their own, so the only way to get accurate information is where they are reading from your online platforms”
“I know the federal government is underutilising online media, but I want to urge you guys to keep the momentum on,” he said.
Earlier, the chairman of the National Assembly New Media Forum, Yemi Itodo while presenting the award to the Hon. Laori Bitrus Kwamoti said the online journalists in Nigeria are capable of changing the negative narratives about Nigeria and projecting the image of the country in a positive light to the international communities
According to him, one of the ways of doing that is by recognizing those who have stood out and made the country proud in their respective endeavours such as the efforts Hon. Kwamoti and his colleagues at the 9th House of Representative are putting in the house in order to have peoples oriented legislation.
“In our present-day Nigeria, where both the traditional and new media ditto social media is awash with disturbing negative stories about the country Nigeria and their leaders, aside from the already escalating spates of insecurity and other social vices, we have decided to start changing the narratives and projecting the image of the country in positive lights to the international communities and intending investors,” he said.
