The Rivers State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has described the recent award given to the Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Pastor Paulinus Nsirim, as a recognition of excellence, hard work and selfless service to the state.
The Union also described the award earned by its former chairman as a vindication of its stand that core professionals be appointed into relevant positions in government, saying the award is a vote of confidence on the media community in Rivers State.
Pastor Nsirim, a seasoned journalist and former NUJ chairman in Rivers State, bagged the Best Commissioner of the Year Award at an elaborate ceremony organised by the Garden City Advancement in Port Harcourt, at the weekend.
The Union, in a statement signed by the Chairman and Secretary, Stanley Job Stanley and Ike Wigodo respectively, stated that the award did not come as a surprise given Nsirim’s rich profile as a core media professional and Public Relations connoisseur.
The statement said that Pastor Nsirim’s passion for excellence and his outstanding performance as a commissioner are too loud to be ignored or not to be recognised.
It noted that the sensitization programme tagged “#Our State, Our Responsibility”, which Nsirim initiated to promote the ideals and image of Rivers State has positively changed the narratives and people’s perception about the state.
The statement said, “The NUJ in Rivers State is quite happy that our former chairman and senior colleague in the journalism profession was recognised for his outstanding performance as a commissioner in the state.
“For us, this award is not just an honour done to Pastor Nsirim alone, it is to the entire body of journalists in Rivers State, as the award would further place journalists and the journalism profession on a high pedestal”.
NUJ urged the Commissioner for Information and Communications not to rest on his oars but to continue to work towards promoting ideals and credo that would continue to earn Rivers State an enviable height among comity of states in the country.
“Of course, we expect that this latest award would spur the Rivers State Government spokesman to bring more ideas in raising the profile of the state and thereby attracting more foreign investors”, the statement added.
The Union also thanked Governor Nyesom Wike for the opportunity given to a core media practitioner to serve as the Commissioner for Information and Communications, stressing that Nsirim’s outstanding performance has shown that the Union’s advocacy for a core professional to head the Ministry of Information and Communications has paid off.
The Council, however, urged the governor to consider more journalists for positions in his administration.
