Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State has urged the Nigerian Guild of Editors to support President Muhammadu Buhari in the task of repositioning Nigeria for the better.
Tambuwal, who made the appeal on Friday in Sokoto when he received officials of the Guild who paid him a courtesy call, said the rot in the Nigerian system was enormous.
He said: “The challenges are more enormous than we have imagined when we were campaigning under the aegis of the All Progressives Congress.
“The rot was too much.”
Tambuwal recalled that the 7th House of Representatives had made several efforts to draw government attention to address some of the problems.
He said: “When we raised an alarm, we were then deemed to have been working for the opposition and were given many negative names, but we have now been vindicated.”
According to him, it is important for the media to show greater restraint and understanding so that the Federal Government would take the right steps to set Nigeria once more on the path of greatness.
He said: “So I am urging you to please give Mr. President sometime before you start using your almighty pen.
“We appreciate the enormity of the weight of your pens and we are not afraid of these pens, but we only know what it can do.
“You should show more understanding to the new administration, especially at the centre.”
Tambuwal described the NGE as a very progressive organisation and pledged to work closely with it to ensure the success of all its activities.
The governor said he would run a people-oriented government and continue to make the state home to all Nigerians.
He said: “We are assuring you that this administration will continue to be friendly to the Press and every member of the state.”
Tambuwal said the administration would accord priority to education, health, agriculture, and mining sectors, as well as women and youth empowerment.
the Acting National President of the Guild, Garba-deen Mohammed, had earlier told the governor that they were in the state for the NGE quarterly meeting of its standing committee.
Mohammed said: “We use to meet after every four months and take stock of the state of the nation with a view to making recommendations.
“This is our own way of making inputs to national development and do peer review of the activities of editors, with a view to knowing our strength and weaknesses.”
Mohammed commended Tambuwal for his commitment to the All Progressives Congress course of salvaging Nigeria and taking the nation to greater heights.
He described the governor as a diligent and patriotic Nigerian, whose tenure as Speaker of the House of Representatives was very eventful.
The Editor-In-Chief of the News Agency of Nigeria, Alhaji Lawal Ado, and Deputy Editor-In-Chief, Multi-Media, Alhaji Sani Adamu, were on the NGE’s delegation.
NAN.
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