By Our Correspondent
The Kano State Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Comrade Ibrahim Abdullahi Waiya, has urged information officers deployed to local government areas, ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to redouble their efforts in ensuring effective reporting of government programmes and projects.
Waiya made the call on Tuesday while presiding over an engagement meeting with information officers at the Ministry of Information and Internal Affairs in Kano.
He said the ministry had introduced new measures to strengthen the dissemination of information on government projects, programmes and activities across the state’s 44 local government areas, particularly in rural communities, as well as ministries, departments and agencies.
According to him, the administration of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf is currently executing more than 1,500 projects across the state, with about 750 already completed, while the remaining projects are at various stages of completion.
The commissioner said information officers, as trained communication professionals, have the responsibility of keeping the public informed about government activities while also providing feedback to government on the needs and aspirations of the people.
He disclosed that the ministry would introduce two additional weekly radio programmes dedicated to reporting activities in local government areas and MDAs.
“Through these programmes, we expect regular updates on government activities carried out in the preceding week across the local governments and MDAs,” he said.
Waiya also announced plans to publish a monthly magazine highlighting activities and achievements of local government councils and MDAs, expressing concern that some information officers had not been submitting reports as expected.
He said the ministry was also working to strengthen collaboration among information officers to promote teamwork and improve service delivery.
The commissioner reminded the officers that they perform the same professional role regardless of their places of posting and urged them to avoid unnecessary divisions while fostering cordial working relationships.
He assured them of the government’s commitment to providing working tools, training opportunities and logistical support to enhance their productivity.
Waiya further revealed that the ministry had reintroduced a monthly reward system under which the best-performing information officer would receive recognition and a gift based on periodic performance assessments.
The Acting Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Kabiru Musa Sulaiman, urged the officers to remain punctual and committed to their duties, noting that the commissioner had introduced several initiatives that had improved the ministry’s operations.
Earlier, the Director of Information, Ameen Kabir Yassar, said the meeting was convened to identify and address challenges affecting the performance of information officers.
He said it was the statutory responsibility of the officers to ensure that residents were adequately informed about the government’s developmental projects and programmes across the state.
“We are here to devise effective ways of reaching the public andensuring they remain informed about government programmes and activities that are visible across the state,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of the participants, the information officers commended Waiya for his efforts in reorganising and strengthening the state’s information dissemination system, saying the reforms would enhance effective service delivery.
