By Chris Udochukwu
Abuja (Precise Post) – Federal lawmaker representing Mulan/Demsa /Lamurde federal constituency of Adamawa State, Hon Bitrus Kwamoti has said that government is under-utilizing the social media which ordinarily would have been used to educate the public on its policies and programs.
Hon Kwamoti made the observation on Tuesday while receiving the “Icon Of Transformation” award from the National Assembly Online Media Forum (Forum of Online Journalists) in his office at the Assembly Complex, Abuja.
According to him, “I believe government is under-utilizing the social media, especially your medium of social reportage because if the government has been up and doing and optimizing your work and utilizing you properly, there are a lot of its policies and programs that can easily be sent to the people and they will be better informed. For instance, this area of COVID-19 where there are conflicting reportage and skepticism about the disease and even the vaccine, I think this is an area where the government ought to utilize your expertise and prowess to the fullest to achieve desired results they want.
The former Adamawa House of Assembly Speaker who acknowledged the onerous task the Online Journalists are doing which most times is not appreciated, however, enjoined them as social drivers in this digital age and watch-dog of society, to ensure that the negative toga that is always being ascribed to social media is done away with.
“I so much believe that being the watch-dog of the society and gentlemen of the fourth realm, you have a big responsibility to keep the society informed and also to get feedbacks from the society so that the government can listen.
He noted that the world is now driven by technology where young men and women are always searching for information using their cell phones, adding that social media influencers are the agents of change that need to be put to full use in order to provide accurate information to the public.
He commended the forum for finding him worthy to be honoured with the award and assured that it will spur him to do more especially knowing that he is now on a radar
Earlier, the chairman of the National Assembly New Media Forum, Yemi Itodo while presenting the award to the Hon. Laori Bitrus Kwamoti said the online journalists in Nigeria are capable of changing the negative narratives about Nigeria and projecting the image of the country in a positive light to the international communities
According to him, one of the ways of doing that is by recognizing those who have stood out and made the country proud in their respective endeavours such as the efforts Hon. Kwamoti and his colleagues at the 9th House of Representative are putting in the house in order to have peoples oriented legislation.
“In our present-day Nigeria, where both the traditional and new media ditto social media is awash with disturbing negative stories about the country Nigeria and their leaders, aside from the already escalating spates of insecurity and other social vices, we have decided to start changing the narratives and projecting the image of the country in positive lights to the international communities and intending investors,” he said
