Senate Spokesperson Charges Aides On Professionalism and Efficiency...Urges Senators and Aides to avoid misinformation, to embrace cooperation

The Senate Spokesperson of the Ninth Assembly, Senator Dr Ajibola Basiru have charged Media Aides in the Senate on professionalism and efficiency. This is also, as he emphasized that the role of Media Aides as well-informed media personnel, rooted in journalism is needed by the country as they function as intermediaries between the governmen

t and the governed. 

The Distinguished Senator made this known at a Two-Day Capacity Building Workshop for Media Aides to Principal Officers and Information Personnel of the National Assembly, organized by National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) on Monday. 

He described the “media aides as stabilising factors in the polity, who have the onerous task of mitigating tension in the society through their releases on behalf of their principals. He stressed that the political class must accept the fact that media aides have so much to contribute through their job descriptions if allowed and given the necessary support."

Dr Ajibola Basiru representing Osun Central Senatorial district, reiterated that Media aides are by the nature of their job schedule, the repository of the secrets of their principals and that their job details cuts across policy making and projection of their principals’ images, stressing that their roles are more sensitive than those of other aides because they are the mirror through which their principals are assessed by the public.  

The Senator who is the Senate Chairman House Committee on Media and Public Affairs admonished the participants at the Workshop to perform their duties professionally and efficiently, and to always allow caution to be their watchword over misinformation, adding that they should be guided when dealing with journalists, particularly on issues that may likely involve their principals.

He used the medium to urge the Senators in the Ninth assembly not to reduce their Media Aides to tools to further their political interests only, but to also get acquainted with the important nature of the job description of their media aides. He added that to maximise the benefits derivable from them, ‘it is high time we realise that media aides have so much to offer if we allow them to function strictly within the context of their engagement’, he also averred that the political class should not turn media aides on others who may not be in sync with their point of view or of different political inclinations.

 

The Senate Spokesperson commended the organisers of the Workshop on the bold initiative and also praised the Media Aides catalyst for the relative peace, integration and cooperation being currently witnessed by the Ninth Assembly and the Executive. This is because of the professionalism and astuteness of purpose of the media aides here seated. I implore you not to rest on your oars – he appealed.

According to him, the workshop is apposite, coming at a time when the nation is facing challenges largely due to misinformation. He also implored the participants to key in on the benefits, as he maintained that it would increase their knowledge, enhance quality of job and broaden exposure to new areas and best practices in journalism.

Dignitaries at the Two-Day Capacity Building Workshop organized by National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) for Media Aides to Principal Officers and Information Personnel of the National Assembly, includes the Vice Chairman House Committee on Media and Public Affairs Senator Akwashiki Godiya and the Director General of NILDS Professor Abubakar Sulaiman among others.