Bayelsa State Media Cooperation Bill And The Shambles In The Local Media

Surprise registered on the faces of journalists in the gallery covering the official closing of the 5ft session as the erswhile Speaker and Chairman of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Benson Friday Konbowei listed the Media Cooperation bill as part of his land mark achievements while he was in office.

An achievement which is at variance with the reality on ground. Where are the areas of collaboration between the government and the press, particularly the local media that has been brought down to shambles?

Years of fruitful collaboration that resulted to reduction in crime and criminality was destroyed by self styled administrators and media managers who felt that the status quo does not favour them.
Journalists that went to discuss issues with the media managers were disgracefully driven out of their offices and tagged as enemies of restoration government.
The ill advice from these self styled media managers to the governor is alleged to have led to the deliberate blockage of the local media from attaining the required economic growth.

Earlier, the media managers placed the severance of the media/government relationship on the decline on the economy, however, the economy has improved, yet they refused to return to status quo, rather they devise segregation, favoritism, nepotism and dichotomy as a divide an rule tactics.
Attempt for the local media Houses to secure Small and Medium Scale enterprise's loans as earlier promised by Governor Henry Seriake Dickson from the Izon-Ibe Micro Finance Bank was blocked, as Mr. Ebiekure Eradiri, Director General of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises, and Joe Ala, Special Adviser to the governor on Cooperatives deliberately refused to take action even when the governor as appended his signature for the Special Adviser on Cooperatives to act on it.

Ebiekure Eradiri, in a program organized recently by Ijaw Ladies Association in Yenagoa bluntly told the listening public that they give loans to politicians because they are the only ones they are sure of paying back the loans.
Sincerely, media houses shared a robust relationship with every commissioner that came into the ministry of Information and Orientation in our capacity as critical stakeholders of the Bayelsa state project, but Daniel Iworiso- Markson as widen the gap by alienating himself from his immediate constituency.

The deficiency of those in charge of information management in the state is the major reason why the local media is in shambles.


Their deficiencies and lack of proper cooperative effort as denied the masses of needed gain in terms of carrying out informative judgment.
Cooperation between government and the media provides verified information to the press, which unveil false stories which most masses fall prey to in their attempt to get information.

Information they say is power as it will enable you to know your environment and also give you the ability to forecast into the future.
Not only that the cooperative efforts enable people to make an informed choice without bias.

Thus, the Media cooperation bill passed by the Bayelsa state House of Assembly is encouraging, as it is to foster cooperative effort to fight insecurity in the state.
Often time, the meida managers gag journalists from covering public functions as only selected media organisations and restoration government social media reporters are allowed to such important ocassion, leaving the local media which is closer to the people behind.