The newly inaugurated executives of the Warri Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) have pledged to strengthen their professional partnership with the Warri, Uvwie and Environs Special Area Development Agency (WUEDA) to promote accurate, responsible and development-oriented journalism.
The commitment was made on Monday when the chapel executives paid a courtesy visit to the Director-General of WUEDA, Hon. Prince Okakuro Godwin Eguriase Ejinyere, at the agency’s headquarters within the Delta State Development and Property Authority (DDPA), Effurun.
The visit was primarily to formally introduce the new chapel leadership to the WUEDA management and establish a stronger working relationship between the media and the interventionist agency.
Speaking on behalf of the delegation, the Chairman of the Warri NUJ Correspondents Chapel, Comrade Akpokona Omafuaire, described WUEDA as a performing interventionist agency whose activities had become increasingly visible across Warri, Uvwie and neighbouring areas.
Omafuaire said the chapel was prepared to give adequate professional coverage to WUEDA’s activities, particularly its interventions in drainage construction, road development and other infrastructure projects aimed at improving residents’ quality of life.
He stressed that journalists had a responsibility to report development initiatives objectively while providing the public with credible information on government projects.
Also speaking, former Chairman of the Delta State Council of the NUJ, Comrade Michael Ikeogwu, commended Ejinyere and his team of engineers for their efforts in driving the agency’s intervention projects.
Ikeogwu, however, stressed the need for sustained supervision and monitoring of projects to ensure that contractors adhered to required standards and delivered value for public funds.
The immediate past Chairman of the Warri NUJ Correspondents Chapel, Comrade Okakuro Okies Victor Okpomor, also commended WUEDA management for its interventions, urging the agency to maintain close supervision of ongoing projects to guarantee their quality and durability.
Responding, Ejinyere thanked the journalists for the visit, saying their observations and constructive comments were valuable to the agency.
He assured the delegation that WUEDA remained committed to delivering quality infrastructure in accordance with acceptable engineering standards and would continue to ensure that contractors complied with approved specifications.
The Director-General also urged journalists to uphold professional ethics by properly investigating and verifying allegations before publication.
According to him, inaccurate reports and unverified allegations could mislead the public, damage the reputation of institutions and contribute to the spread of misinformation and fake news.
Ejinyere said journalists should regard themselves as partners in development and use their platforms to educate the public, highlight genuine challenges and promote constructive engagement between government agencies and citizens.
He further said Governor Sheriff Oborevwori remained committed to restoring the lost glory of Warri, Uvwie and their immediate surroundings, adding that WUEDA’s interventions were part of the administration’s broader efforts to address critical infrastructure challenges in the Oil City.
He urged journalists to adopt a developmental approach to their reportage by giving adequate attention to projects, their objectives, challenges, implementation and impact on residents.
Members of the new NUJ executive who accompanied the chairman were the Vice Chairman, Comrade Francis Sadhere; Secretary, Comrade Edeki Igafe; Assistant Secretary, Comrade Samuel Ogude; Treasurer, Comrade Onyekachukwu Meluwa; Financial Secretary, Comrade Success Okuchemiya; and Auditor, Comrade Odeya Ogbetuo.
Also on the delegation were the immediate past Chairman of the chapel, Comrade Okies Victor Okpomor, and former Chairman of the Delta State Council of the NUJ, Comrade Michael Ikeogwu.
WUEDA’s Director of Administration and Finance, Ochuko Mofe-Ojeke, and the agency’s Chief Accountant, Mrs Roseline Okorigba, were among the management staff present at the meeting.
The significance of the engagement extends beyond its ceremonial nature, as it highlights the critical relationship between development institutions and the media.
For an interventionist agency such as WUEDA, whose projects directly affect the daily lives of residents, effective communication with the public is essential to the success and understanding of its interventions.
Through the media, citizens can learn about government projects, understand the challenges surrounding major infrastructure interventions and assess their impact. At the same time, responsible journalism provides an independent platform for raising concerns, identifying shortcomings and demanding accountability.
The journalists’ emphasis on quality supervision during the visit also underlined the need for development reporting to go beyond celebrating projects. It should examine whether projects are being executed according to specifications, whether public resources are being properly utilised and whether the completed infrastructure delivers sustainable value to the people.
For WUEDA, the engagement provides an opportunity to strengthen its relationship with journalists through access to accurate information, transparency and constructive criticism.
For the NUJ Correspondents Chapel, it reinforces the principle that journalists can serve the public interest more effectively when they understand the mandate, processes and challenges of institutions they cover.
At a time when misinformation and unverified claims can spread rapidly through social media, direct engagement between journalists and development agencies is particularly important. Such interaction allows facts to be obtained from authoritative sources, misconceptions to be corrected and legitimate concerns to be communicated without compromising journalistic independence.
Ultimately, a healthy partnership between WUEDA and the media should not translate into uncritical publicity for the agency. Rather, it should promote accurate, balanced, constructive and development-oriented journalism-reporting what government is doing, what remains to be done, where improvements are required and, most importantly, how the people are being affected.