The Acting Governor of Oyo State, Barrister Bayo Lawal on Thursday charged online news publishers to be keen on better professional conduct through balance of stories before publishing them.
Barrister Lawal stated this during his interaction with the South West Group of Online Publishers (SWEGOP) during a courtesy call on him in his office.
SWEGOP is made up of online publishers from Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Ogun and Ekiti states. Members of the group came together to promote professionalism through self-regulation and provide a wider reach through multiple professionally managed online media outlets.
The Acting Governor who described the prompt publication of news stories as being sacrosanct with online media disclosed that Governor Seyi Makinde-led’s administration would continue to engage journalists to further propel development in the state.
Earlier in his remarks, the SWEGOP Chairman, Olayinka Agboola saluted Governor Seyi Makinde for shopping for the right peg to fit into the appropriate executive hole as represented by Barrister Bayo Lawal.
While saluting the administration of Governor Makinde for the successes achieved so far in terms of provision of infrastructures, especially the remodelled Lekan Salami Stadium, Motor Parks and road construction, the group called the government’s attention to the issues of refuse disposal and insecurity in the state.
“We are not oblivious of the fact that the Federal Government has its giant share of the blame, Engineer Makinde’s government still needs to be more pragmatic in this respect,” Agboola noted.
The SWEGOP Chairman then assured the Acting Governor of the further partnership with the Governor Makinde-led government “as you work hard to take the state to the greatest heights.”
However, Agboola disclosed that the major challenge in Nigeria is a lack of fear of God and general lawlessness.
“If we can all check out ourselves, individually and collectively, we will realize that disregard for decency as depicted by the principle of Omoluabism (as propagated by our forefathers) is a major factor destabilizing and impeding our progress as a nation. Not religion. Not even political affiliations,” he clarified.
