The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Rivers State Council, has expressed its readiness to partner with the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Rivers Port, to promote effective information dissemination, boost productivity and enhance economic growth.
The Chairman of the Rivers State Council of the NUJ, Comrade Paul Bazia, gave the assurance on Tuesday during a courtesy visit to the management of the NPA, Rivers Port.
Bazia said the partnership had become necessary because of the strategic role of ports in the nation’s economic development, particularly Rivers Port, which he described as the cradle of maritime operations in the Eastern Maritime Corridor.
He said the current leadership of the NUJ, upon assumption of office, resolved to promote positive and constructive reportage to improve the public perception of the state and attract investors.
According to him, the visit was aimed at understanding the achievements and challenges of the port management and exploring areas of collaboration that could enhance its operations and contribute to national economic growth.
“Rivers Port is the cradle of port operations in the Eastern Maritime Corridor. On inception as an executive, we met a crisis-ridden news environment, but we resolved to change the narrative through positive reportage to attract investors.
“Since the port is key to the economic advancement of the nation and the Eastern Maritime Corridor, it is important for us to build a synergy to amplify the activities of the port,” he said.
The NUJ chairman noted that the union had correspondents covering various sectors, including the maritime industry, and was willing to deploy maritime reporters to the NPA whenever necessary to ensure effective coverage of its activities.
He urged the port management to reach out to the union whenever it had events or important developments requiring media coverage.
Responding, the Port Manager of NPA, Rivers Port, Mrs Edith Okezie, described the NUJ as a critical partner in information dissemination and national economic development.
Okezie highlighted some of the achievements recorded under her administration in the past three years, including the rehabilitation of internal roads within the port complex and the strengthening of security around the port.
She also disclosed that the port’s water channels had been dredged to facilitate the smooth movement of vessels, while rehabilitation work was ongoing on some berths to improve operational efficiency.
The port manager further disclosed that the Federal Government was currently rehabilitating ports in the Western region, expressing hope that the exercise would be extended to ports in the Eastern region.
Okezie thanked the NUJ delegation for the visit and expressed appreciation for the union’s willingness to collaborate with the authority.
