Perm Sec commends The Graphic MD for prudent management of resources

By Joy Salami

The new Permanent Secretary of Kogi State Ministry of Information and Communications,Mr. Ebenezer Adurodija has commended the Managing Director of The Graphic Newspaper, Mr Yusuf Itopa, for his prudent management of the corporation’s resources.

The Permanent Secretary gave this commendation during his maiden meeting with the management of paper in Lokoja.

Speaking further, he said he was impressed with the MD’s good judgement, prudent management of resources and forthrightness in repositioning the paper into an effective outfit for the dissemination of information and propagation of activities of government.

Mr Adurodija also applauded the new MD for maintaining peace and cordial relationship among staff and various departments of the newspaper corporation.

“Since assumption of office, he has regarded and treated everyone as a family.And let me add that if you want to succeed,you must be transparent and ensure you carry the entire management along”he further added.

In his response to issues raised by the management, the Permanent Secretary promised to use his tenure to drive growth and a robust relationship among both parties to address the various challenges confronting the paper.

On training, he reiterated the ministry’s readiness to sustain collaboration with The Graphic in the area of capacity building of reporters in line with the present administration’s commitment to continuous capacity development of its workforce.

According to him, staff of the corporation will be integrated into the proposed training program scheduld for November.And that the ministry would make efforts to draw staff from within the system to boost the manpower needs of the paper.

Earlier, the Managing Director, Mr Yusuf Itopa while welcoming the delegation, urged the ministry to support its efforts towards the development of the corporation for effective and efficient service delivery.

According to him, the issues of inadequate staff and working tools were currently hampering the smooth operations in the editorial and production departments.

He also appealed to the ministry to prioritise the printing and circulation of the paper in their budget to enable the paper boost it’s readership and spread beyond the state. Other areas of concern raised by the MD include: The need for training and retraining of staff, addressing the power challenge, giving the office a facelift and ensuring adequate funding.

The MD equally called for the expansion of the monthly award program of the ministry to accommodate The Graphic as a way of promoting hardwok and dedication among ministry staff.

In addition, he encouraged government to look critically at ways of removing all bottlenecks hampering the effective operations of The Graphic and Radio Kogi in view of their critical roles in keeping the people abreast about activities of government.

In his contribution, the Executive Editor,Mr James Oyewole, described the meeting as a new beginning for both parties in terms of repositioning the information sector for optimal performance.

He assured the delegation of the commitment of the current management of The Graphic Newspaper to work as a team while praising the new head for his examplary leadership style.