On Thursday the Information and Strategy ministry block, Alausa herald the executive members of the Association of Practitioners of Community Media in Nigeria ( APCOM), during its courtesy visit to the Lagos State Honourable commissioner for information and Strategy, Mr. Gbenga Omotosho. The delegation, led by the immediate past Commissioner of Information and Strategy, Lagos State, Honourable Kehinde Bamgbetan, who after leaving office joined the association, as a practitioner, and has been decorated the patron of APCOM.
In his opening remarks, Bamgbetan thanked the commissioner for his grace for the visit at this critical time of the administration battling the Convid 19 and the most recent Abule-Ado explosion, on Sunday. He gave a brief history on his reason and efforts in bringing together all community media in Lagos state, the supports of the past administration in promoting them through quarterly advert placements, trainings and the mileage achieved through community mediums. He assured the commissioner of the association’s willingness to partner with the present administration in driving home its programs to the communities and getting feedbacks; especially at this time the world is faced with the dreaded CoronaVirus.
The president of APCOM and the publishers of Ilupeju Today, Ikeja GRA and Lekki Today Mr.Dayo Akintobi in his speech reiterated the speech of Hon Bamgbetan and further highlighted the aims, objectives and achievements of APCOM in its over two years of registration as the umbrella body of all community media practitioners in Nigeria which include training of members, peer review and advocacy for a balanced reportage among others. He also reiterated on the processes undergone before the registration of the association which included getting the a letter of intent from the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and the approval from the office of the Ministry of Information Abuja.
While responding to the executives the honourable commissioner, Mr Gbenga Omotosho thanked APCOM for the visit and pledged to support its interests, Omotosho a seasoned journalist noted that he understands the importance of having community media, which, in his words will rapidly give the government the desired mileage.
