Missing school girls: FG summons heads of public media agencies

Vice President Namadi Sambo on Wednesday summoned a meeting of all heads of Federal Government’s communication agencies to enhance information flow on the rescue mission for missing Chibok, Borno State school girls.
Presidential spokesman, Dr. Doyin Okupe, told newsmen in Abuja at the end of maiden meeting of the group, that it was aimed at supporting the efforts of the military in the search for the abducted schoolgirls.
Present at the meeting were the Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria, Ima Niboro, and the Director-General of the Nigerian Television Authority, Sola Omole.
Okupe said: “The Vice President, Alhaji Namadi Sambo, has actually summoned a meeting of all the heads of the communication agencies of the Federal Government in order to further improve and enhance the process of information dissemination both within and outside Nigeria.
“It is important that this is used to support the efforts of the military in the search for our missing girls in Chibok.”
Okupe said the meeting, which would be reconvened on Thursday, would be presided over by the Vice President, with the Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, and other heads of relevant agencies in attendance.
In his contribution, the Senior Special Assistant to Sambo on Media and Publicity, Umar Sani, said the proposed Information Centres on the abducted girls were meant to provide accurate and prompt information to the public on the ongoing rescue mission.
Sani said: “They (Information Centres) are going to be set up not because we want to sweep anything under the carpet but to give timely and accurate information to Nigerians and that sensitive state matter like security should not be mixed up with issues that have to do with politics.”
Sani explained that Nigeria welcomed the support and assistance of the United States, Britain and China on the ongoing efforts to rescue the kidnapped girls because fighting terrorism required global collaboration.
Also present at the meeting were Alhaji Ladan Salihu of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria and the representative of the Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria, Alhaji Muhammed Danjuma.