Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Pharmacist (Mrs) Uzamat Akinbile-Yussuf has enjoined members of the Association of Nigerian Journalists and Writers of Tourism (ANJET) to be objective and factual in their Reportage such that their criticism will be such that will help the development of Tourism activities in Lagos State and Nigeria as a whole.
The Commissioner gave the charge on Wednesday when executive members of the Association paid a Courtesy Visit on her office at Alausa, Ikeja.
She opined that the way to tackle the incidences of impersonation in the journalistic profession is through professional conduct, well researched and objective articles, and balanced reportage with in-depth analysis, saying that these components of good reports are usually not provided by untrained reporters.
Akinbile-Yussuf reminder the tourism writers of the need to be deliberate in their storytelling and in portraying the rich tourism potentials of Lagos State to the outside world, stressing that Tourism is an industry that thrives on the good impression created before the international communities.
“Sell Lagos as a destination for Tourists, promote Lagos tourism attractions and focus on local tourism development, if all these are succinctly captured through your various media outfits, the level of awareness of what Lagos has to offer in the area of Tourism attractions would be better than what it is presently,” the Commissioner stated.
She called on the journalists to help change the narrative of how Nigeria as a country is perceived by other parts of the world in the aspect of Tourism attractions, adding that the perception of Nigeria among the comity of nations affects how every Nigerian is seen generally.
She maintained that though the country may not have attained its desired status, there are, however, inspiring and captivating stories that if well packaged and reported would contribute significantly to the advancement of the country.
Akinbile-Yussuf added that it is through the image portrayed by the media that would determine the possibility of foreign investments in the country as no investor would be willing to invest their resources where the security of such investment is not guaranteed.
Earlier, the President of ANJET, Omololu Olumuyiwa, acknowledged the giant strides made by Lagos State Ministry of Tourism Arts and Culture especially in the area of keeping the tourism industry vibrant during the lockdown period and despite the ravaging covid-19 pandemic.
He acknowledged the several engagement platforms provided by the Ministry to involve the various stakeholders in its plans, programmes and policies, stressing that the recognitions accorded the various stakeholders would translate into a more coordinated and mutually beneficial relationship going forward.
Olumuyiwa pledged the support of the Association to continually promote the activities of the Ministry through robust media presence and media reportage in the social media, newspapers and on Television and Radio stations.
Members of ANJET who accompanied Olumuyiwa on the courtesy visit are Vice President, Franklin Ihejirika, Secretary, Samson Ayuk and Treasurer, Ekene Ezenwa.
