•Seeks enhanced funding, wider outreach, sales across LGAs
By Ogalla Daniel
Kogi State House of Assembly, has taken steps to review and enforce the Kogi State Newspaper Corporation Law, 2025 as part of efforts tailored at enhancing dissemination of information to the grassroots level.
The decision was made during a plenary session on Tuesday following a motion moved by Member Representing Ogori/ Magongo State Constituency and Chairman House Committee on Information, Hon Bode Ogunmola.
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The house agreed to amend and establish the law to further boost the operations of Kogi State Newspaper Corporation, publishers of The Graphic Newspaper, as it strives to achieve one of its primary mandates of sensitising residents of Kogi and Nigerians in general about government policies, programmes, and activities.
He noted that section 18 (2) (b) of the said law mandates that copies of the state-owned newspaper, The Graphic, shall made available to Local Government councils with payment made from source.
Hon Ogunmola, pointed out that this provision was duly adhered to until 2017, when the local government councils abruptly ceased compliance, thereby creating adverse effects on the operations, sales and service of the State Newspaper Corperation as the corperation has struggled over the years to sustain it’s publication.
According to him, before the violation of these provisions, 100 copies of the The Graphic were supplied to each of the 21 local government councils, which ensured the widespread dissemination of government policies, programmes and activities.
Recognising the economic realities, Hon Ogunmola then proposed the resumption of this arrangement with 50 copies per local government councils to ensure the continued viability of the corporation.
He added that, the service of the corporation in broadcasting news and promoting government policies in print format served to inform citizens in every nook and cranny of the state while providing a documented record of government activities.
While considering the Supreme Court’s ruling abolishing joint accounts which previously served as the source for these deduction, he equally proposed that the arrangement continues through the joint forum of the local government in the state; the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, (ALGON).
This he emphasised was for the betterment of information dissemination and sustainability of the State Newspaper Corporation.
Hon Ogunmola then prayed the House resolves to among others: Direct the enforcement of section 18(2) (b) of the Kogi State Newspaper Corporation Law, 2015 to ensure that Local Government Councils resume procurement of The Graphic.
Similarly, that the House mandates the joint forum of ALGON to facilitate the deductions and remittance of payments of the State Newspaper Corporation in compliance with existing legal provisions .
He also urged the State Government to provide interim financial assistance to the corporation to support its operations until the resumption of the sales arrangement, given the critical role of The Graphic in disseminating government policies and activities across the state as well as the need to sustain its publication for public awareness and accountability.
In his ruling, the Speaker Kogi State House of Assembly, RT Hon Aliyu Umar Yusuf, acknowledged the importance of sustaining the relationship between the government and the people through adequate information dimension especially to those in the various constituencies.
He then direct the Assembly Clerk to forward the resolution to the local government councils.
