Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has congratulated the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP) on the occasion of its third annual conference scheduled for October 4 at Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos.
The governor sent his congratulatory message in a statement on Wednesday by his chief press secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye.
“On behalf of the Government and people of Kwara State, I congratulate the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP) on the third annual conference of the organisation with the theme ‘Economy, Security and National Development,’ the statement said.
“My government is proud to associate with this organisation for reasons that include your member-groups’ oft-stated commitment to the ethics of journalism and deliberate effort to ensure that national security and peace are major considerations in your work.
“This stands you out from the crowd of anything-goes online media at a time our country is faced with enormous challenges arising from the misuse and abuse of the freedom that comes with the internet/social media. Of particular concern is the menace of fake news, impersonation, and distortion of government’s communication.”
The governor said that in less than a week ago his administration got a taste of the evil of fake news with reports “purportedly emanating from the government with the agenda of misleading the public, causing tension in the state, and exposing the government to public ridicule.”
AbdulRazaq urged GOCOP and other professional online publishers “to join whatever efforts designed to checkmate a trend that is itself a threat to ethical journalism which the likes of COGOP, Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) and other professional bodies stand for.”
Expected at the event is the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto, Most Rev Dr. Matthew Kukah; Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina; Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State among others.
