Information Vans, Gadgets For Yobe Community Mobilization As Government Re-trains Lg Information Officers

By Ahmed Abu, The Nigerian Voice, Damaturu

The State Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs in collaboration with the 17 Local Government Councils and Gonib Nig. Ltd hosted a workshop for local government information officers today to update and upgrade their grasp of community mobilisation strategies at the grassroots level using mobile information systems and the endowments of social media.

The workshop took place at GAAT Hotel, Damaturu and was attended by all the information officers from the 17 local government councils.

The workshop was graced by the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs Alhaji Dawa Maigari, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Alhaji Yahaya Ado.

The commissioner spoke to the importance of training, re-training and knowledge update for government employees as means of improving productivity, urging the participants to apply themselves to the strategies to which they were to be inducted by the resource persons.

The commissioner also urged the information officers to use the information vans to effect and ensure "the proper utilisation of the vehicles solely for the purposes intended".

"You should handle the vehicles with utmost care and caution so that the government gets value for the money deservedly spent", he advised.

Alhaji Dawa Maigari also thanked H.E Governor Ibrahim Gaidam for the approval to procure the information vans and for everything he is doing to encourage and support workers in the state.

The information officers were taken on the effective use of social media by Mallam Musa Usman of the Department of Mass Communication, University of Maiduguri in a powerpoint presentation titled 'Effective Use of Social Media by Public Information Managers'.

Mr. John Adama, a media consultant and sound and graphics expert, talked to the participants on the theory of sound applications and provided practical, how-to lessons on managing and operating the gadgets provided in the information vans.

Chairman of the Association of Local Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) who is also the chairman of Gujba Local Government Council Alhaji Kyari Batarama, who thanked the Ministry of Local Government for ensuring that the vans were made available for use at the local government, advised the information officers to up their game and ensure effective community mobilisation using the resources provided.