-Bilesanmi Abayomi
The Lagos State Governor-elect, Babajide Sanwoolu, and his handlers faced criticism as they reportedly snubbed online community newspaper practitioners during the commissioning of multiple projects in Kosofe on Thursday.
According to The Kosofe Post, prominent personalities close to the Governor had engaged community media practitioners across Lagos State in the run-up to the rescheduled 2023 Lagos State Governorship election. These engagements aimed to highlight the Governor-elect’s achievements and sought support from the practitioners in showcasing his landmark projects.
During the administration of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, online publishers and community media newspaper practitioners enjoyed a robust partnership that effectively bridged the communication gap between the state government and the grassroots. Recognizing this, the community media practitioners expressed their grievances during a parley held in Maryland, Kosofe.
The parley, coordinated by Bilesanmi Abayomi, the Publisher of The Kosofe Post, urged the Babajide Sanwoolu to emulate Governor Ambode’s engagement and patronage with community media outlets. They further emphasized the importance of community mediums in collecting feedback from their respective local government areas and requested that the Governor instruct local government chairmen to support and patronize community newspapers.
However, despite these appeals, the Governor and his handlers reportedly snubbed community newspapers during the official commissioning of the Babajide Sanwoolu Ultra Modern Market Ketu, the Ndubisi Kanu Housing Estate (72 Home Units) in Gbagada, and the Ogudu-Alapere Link Road in Kosofe. No official invitation was extended to the community newspaper practitioners for the event.
The exclusion of the community media practitioners from these project commissioning events has raised concerns and disappointment among the practitioners, who had hoped for continued collaboration and engagement with the incoming administration.
It was recalled that during the commissioning of the 114 Roads project (2 per local government), former Governor Akinwunmi Ambode partnered community newspapers to collate feedbacks and to publicize the commissioning of all his projects. This move helped brandish the achievements of the state government at the grassroots.
As the Governor-elect prepares to assume office, it remains to be seen whether efforts will be made to reestablish a productive partnership between the government and community media outlets. The community media practitioners emphasize the importance of their role in connecting with the grassroots and serving as a vital channel for information dissemination at the local level.
