Mass Communication Act Critical to Development - Akunyili

Professor Dora Akunyili, minister of Information and Communications, last week in Abuja said that there was need for the implementation of the mass communication Act as it was critical to development.
Akunyili made this declaration during a courtesy visit by a delegation from Daar Communications, owners of AIT and RayPower FM.
She said that ICT is the mirror through which many nations could be evaluated by the rest of the world. “We will ensure that the mass communication law which has already been passed by the National Assembly is implemented because it is critical to national development,” she said.
Our tenure in this ministry, she added will focus on rebranding and repositioning Nigeria through responsible and effective information dissemination. This will require efficient enforcement system as it will serve as a fundamental pillar for the president's 7-point agenda.
According to her, for Nigeria to achieve digitisation in June 2012, the law setting up the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and the broadcast landscape needs to be reviewed and upgraded.
Akunyili assured that both private and public sectors would be carried along to ensure that they have access to first-hand information about the presidency.
“When people are properly informed, there will be no vacuum. We have promised that we will do our best to educate the people on the day-to-day activities of the government. We are working to have a functional website where Nigerians and others will be adequately informed and also establish polling sites where we can evaluate the contributions of Nigerians to government activities,” she stated.
Meanwhile, Aleogho Dokpesi, chairman Daar communications, who led the delegation called for the support of the ministry in its efforts to disseminate information to the public. “We are impressed with the 2009 budget, especially as the focus of the president is on electoral reforms, the land use Act and others. We want to be carried along to give it adequate coverage,” he said.