The Rivers State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) commends the Rivers State government for posting Dr Honour Sirawoo, mni to the Ministry of Information and Communications as Permanent Secretary.
Dr Sirawoo is a thoroughbred journalist who started his career as Sports Editor, Rivers State Television in the nineties, rising to become National President of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) and now a Member of the prestigious National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, (NIPSS).
The NUJ, therefore, sees this posting as” a square peg in a square hole” on the heels of Sirawoo’s vast experience in the media space having also served as Press Secretary in the Deputy Governor’s Office for nearly a decade.
The role of a permanent secretary being the accounting officer in a ministry is crucial to the actualisation of administration’s vision, especially now that Rivers State Government-owned media houses are in comatose with decayed infrastructure and under-utilised manpower.
Being about the most senior Permanent Secretary in the Rivers State Civil Service with a Doctorate Degree in Mass Communication, the Union expects him to maximally apply his wealth of experience for the upliftment of the journalism profession and state media organisations.
This is a call to duty and an opportunity to convince the government on the need to revitalise state-owned media houses being outlets for information dissemination and public engagements to effectively serve the diverse communities of Rivers State and beyond. The Union, while wishing Dr Sirawoo, the very best as Permanent Secretary Ministry of Information and Communications, assures him of an unwavery support as he embarks on this assignment.
