By Helen Chimezie
The Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation in Rivers State is now helping citizens to understand and key into various alleviations schemes of the Federal Government to reduce hardships.
This is said to be in response to the harsh economic conditions faced by citizens due to recent policies that may have increased cost of living. The Ministry says it is in a bid to ensure no one is left behind in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, and to also ensure citizens are properly informed about federal government intervention programmes.
The Rivers State office held the one-day sensitization programme at the Federal Secretariat Complex in Port Harcourt.
The event held on September 19, 2024, with the theme ‘Sensitizing the Citizenry on Federal Government Intervention Programmes at the State and Local Government Levels’. It had in attendance representatives of the state government, heads of security agencies, religious leaders, heads of federal and state parastatals, civil servants, traders and the leadership and members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Rivers State Council.
Speaking on behalf of the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, the Head of the Ministry’s centre in Port Harcourt, Gabriel Obokuru, underscored the essence of the event, saying it is to; “Elucidate FG’s commitment to cushioning the effects of the fuel subsidy removal by initiating programmes that will enhance our living.
“Remarkably, this event is not just about listening. It is about keying into the programmes and policies that are before us, initiated by the federal government.”
He therefore implored participants at the event to embrace the opportunities because time they say waits for no one.
The chairman of the occasion, Ernest Irehie, who is the Head of the National Film and Video Censors Board in Rivers State, enumerated some of the government intervention programmes. He commended the Ministry for organizing such a sensitization programme that he said would enlighten the citizens on government intervention programmes, and how the citizens could harness them to uplift their standard of living amidst the economic challenges facing the nation.
Also speaking at the event, the resource person, Chika Elesi, gave a detailed explanation of some of the FG intervention programmes, and went ahead to draw the attend of participants to what the FG is doing, saying they are also taking into consideration the environmental challenges plaguing the nation.
Despite the advances, participants at the event, nevertheless, bemoaned the current economic challenges facing the nation, which they blamed on the recent policies of the federal government.
The Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Rivers State Chapter, Daba Benebo, appealed to the FG to create an enabling environment that would accelerate the growth of businesses to reduce the need for intervention programmes.
In his contribution on the sidelines, Ignatius Chukwu, regional editor, BusinessDay, and a public analyst, urged the Ministry to assist the FG by creating a desk in each state to sell the schemes and secure the buy-in of citizens because of many scams raging on social media about such schemes.
He said scammers seem to take over the job of information by misinforming the citizens, inviting them to so many online sites to apply.
Chukwu said such a desk if created would have an online presence also to always issue weekly updates on the genuine programmes and the correct link addresses for citizens so that the scammers would not be the sole informants on FG programmes and how to access them.
Speaking also on the sideline, the Chairman of the Federal Information Chapel of the Rivers State NUJ Council, Dr Helen Nsirim, urged Nigerians to take full advantage of the available federal government intervention programmes despite any skepticism.
In her words, “People should apply for these programmes because they are genuine. The idea of not applying and complaining that the intervention programmes were scams should not be so.
“These intervention programmes are designed with the citizens in mind. They are meant to empower and provide succor to the citizenry. I assure you that these programmes are genuine and are designed to benefit only those who participate.”
Dr Chimezie went on: “I understand that some of you may be hesitant because you don’t personally know anyone who directly benefited from these initiatives. However, that should not deter us from engaging with these opportunities that have been created for our advancement.”
She however expressed worry, as observed from the event that most citizens make bias and unfounded statements about government intervention programmes, without them first applying to ascertain its genuineness.
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