NAN-H-28
Media
By Awayi Kuje
Akwanga (Nasarawa State), Nov. 18, 2016 (NAN) The Evangelical Reformed Church of Christ (ERCC) has commended the Nigerian media for disseminating quality information inspite of the challenges facing the industry.
The ERCC President Nation wide, Dr Jerry Madibo, gave the commendation on Friday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Akwanga.
Madibo spoke on the sidelines of the centenary celebration of the church.
The ERCC president, who said that no society could achieve speedy development without the media, urged journalists not to relent in their mandate of “ speaking for voiceless Nigerians.’’
He cited the challenges being faced by the media to include inadequate manpower, poor working condition, poor remuneration and hostile operating environment.
Madibo, however, said that commendation must be given to the media for withstanding these challenges by ensuring dissemination of quality information.
He also described the media as a veritable tool for the propagation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Journalists, he added, must adhere strictly to the ethics of their profession as well as promote peace and national development.
The ERCC president also paid tributes to Arthur Judd who left South Africa and led the missionary work that resulted in the establishment of the church in Nigeria in 1916.
“Aside from the primary mission of evangelising, the missionaries also considered education and health care services as their cardinal objectives as the church established many tertiary institutions, secondary and primary schools among others.
“ERCC has over 45 primary schools, over 12 secondary schools, nine tertiary institutions and a vocational training institute for women and widows and clinics across the state .
“The church is not left out in the area of peace promotion, sensitisation of our members and other Nigerians on good government policies and programmes.
“ We have achieved all these with the help of the media which partnered with us in publicising our activities,” he said.
Madibo, who reiterated the commitment of the church to promoting policies that have direct bearing on Nigerians, called for adherence to the rule of law and respect for constituted authority.(NAN)
AKW/OJO
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(Edited by Mufutau Ojo)