Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State has congratulated the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP) on the occasion of its third annual conference holding on October 4, 2019 at Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos.

This is contained in a goodwill message sent to the association by his Chief Press Secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye, on Wednesday.

Governor AbdulRazaq statement reads: “On behalf of the Government and people of Kwara State, I congratulate the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP) on the third annual conference of the organisation with the theme “Economy, Security and National Development”.

“My government is proud to associate with this organisation for reasons that include your member-groups’ oft-stated commitment to the ethics of journalism and deliberate effort to ensure that national security and peace are major considerations in your work.

“This stands you out from the crowd of anything-goes online media at a time our country is faced with enormous challenges arising from the misuse and abuse of the freedom that comes with the internet/social media. Of particular concern is the menace of fake news, impersonation, and distortion of government’s communication.

“In less than a week ago, our administration has had a taste of the evil of fake news, with some mischief makers putting out statements purportedly emanating from the government with the agenda of misleading the public, causing tension in the state, and exposing the government to public ridicule.

“While the majority of Kwarans have come to know how to spot such fake news, especially because we have always been truthful to them, the development remains a threat to public peace and national development.

“It is against this background that I urge GOCOP and other professional online publishers to join whatever efforts designed to checkmate a trend that is itself a threat to ethical journalism which the likes of COGOP, Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) and other professional bodies stand for.”

In another development, Governor Abdulrazaq on Tuesday visited the state’s Special Needs School in Ilorin, the state capital, where he donated audio books for the use of the visually impaired students and congratulated the students on Nigeria’s 59th Independence Anniversary.

The governor’s visit came after the students returned from the independence parade at the Metropolitan Square in Ilorin, the state capital.

AbdulRazaq, who had gone to identify with the children, also inspected the ongoing renovation of two blocks of five classrooms in the school.

The renovation works came following AbdulRazaq’s maiden visit to the school in July, during which he lamented the neglect of the school and pledged to ensure the facilities are upgraded.

Mrs Faoziyah Aroyehun, the principal of the school, commended the Governor for the audio books which she said would be very useful for the pupils.

“These audio books are particularly useful for the visually impaired students and we appreciate His Excellency for the kind gesture. We also commend him for the ongoing interventions in the school which he had facilitated,” she said.

In a message that targeted the interest of the less privileged, AbdulRazaq had earlier in his Independence Day message called on Nigerians to “build a country that works for all and not just for the privileged few. This requires that we look at the bigger picture each time we take decisions in our areas of influence. That bigger picture is national unity, national development and collective prosperity where no one is left behind.”