The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Rivers State Council, has described the appointment of its former Chairman, Pastor Paulinus Nsirim, as Commissioner for Information and Communications, as a round peg in a round hole.

Pastor Nsirim is the immediate past Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Information and Communications and Chairman of the Rivers State chapter of the Nigeria Institute of Public Relations (NIPR).

He had also served as Secretary and Chairman of the NUJ, Rivers State Council.

The NUJ, in a statement signed by its Chairman and Secretary, Stanley Job Stanley and Ike Wigodo, respectively, congratulated Pastor Nsirim and other newly appointed commissioners on their appointments by the state governor, Nyesom Wike.

The statement enjoined the newly inaugurated members of the Rivers State Executive Council to see their appointments as a golden opportunity to serve the state meritoriously and to contribute to the ongoing developmental milestones that have been recorded in the state in the last few years. 

The union stated that the appointment of Pastor Nsirim who is a seasoned journalist and a public relations guru was timely, to rejig the information and communication architecture of the state.

The NUJ recalled that the new Commissioner for Information and Communications had distinguished himself in his previous assignments as former state chairman of NUJ, former Chief Press Secretary to military administrator in the state and state chairman of the NIPR.

The statement also noted the tremendous efforts of Pastor Nsirim towards changing the ugly narratives about Rivers State, through its pet project, #ourstateourresponsibility# during his stewardship as a Permanent Secretary.

The Union expressed confidence in the ability of Pastor Nsirim to justify the confidence reposed in him by Governor Wike and make journalists in the state proud.

“The Union has always insisted on the appointment of journalists as Commissioner for Information and Communication, hence Nsirim’s appointment is a round peg in a round hole.

“We have no doubt that Pastor Nsirim will be a priceless asset to Governor Wike’s administration and will bring his wealth of experience to bear on information management of the state”, the statement said.

The Union, however, urged the new Commissioner for Information and Communications to rejig the four government owned media houses in the State, namely the Rivers State Newspaper Corporation, publisher of The Tide; the Rivers State Broadcasting Corporation (Radio Rivers), the Rivers State Television (RSTV) and the Garden City Radio FM, to enable them compete favourably with other media houses in the country.

The NUJ commended the state governor, Nyesom Wike for making the right choice in Pastor Nsirim and expressed its readiness to support and cooperate with the state government to achieve its set goals.