Yakubu Busari
The Interim Chairman of Plateau Publishers Association ,PPA, who is a Jos based Publisher of African Drum Magazine ,Mr. Joseph Adudu has said ,their mandate is to conduct election to bring in new Exco to spearhead the leadership of the association in the state.
He said the PPA role out drum to conduct fresh election to usher in Exco that would run the affairs of the publishing business in Plateau state by calling on eligible members purchase form at the ongoing exercise.
Adudu in a press conference held at the Reality office, Rwang street adjacent Jos Disco headquarters ,Jos.
According him, he said as stakeholders and colleagues in the pen profession in the state, we feel excited whenever an opportunity presents for us to interact.
The interim committee members of Plateau Publishers Association-,PPA, this interaction provide a veritable opportunity to bring our stakeholders abreast of publishing activities in the state up to date,he added.
Adudu stressed that the print-media industry on the Plateau had over the years proofed to be a viable business enterprise that is creating vast employment opportunity for the teaming applicants in the state, aside from bringing the state government closer to the people as a tool for information dissemination, this feat has not gone unnoticed by the various past administrations in the state.
However, the absence of a functional Association to harness the numerous publishing outfits in the state had over the years given rise to setbacks and limiting publishers of the government’s needed partnership and support to the industry.
Equally worrisome, was the failure of past efforts and attempts by all the factional associations that existed for almost 7years to find a common front resulting rather to acrimony, abuse and mediocrity in its operational activities, he stated.
Adding he said this is a development that attracted the concern and intervention of very important personalities including traditional rulers and leaders of thought in the State but that did not also yield any positive result.
It is perhaps, for this reason that the Director-General (DG) Industrial Training Fund ITF Sir Joseph Ari (KSM) sought to meet and have audience with all independent publishers on the Plateau in his office sometimes in February, 2019 (5/2/2019) to forge a way forward amicable resolution.
However, as God wanted it to be, Art’s intervention brought about the collective agreement of the different factions of all the publishers (Newspapers/ magazines) in the state to form a new body. A five-man
interim EXCO was thus constituted to run the affairs of the association in three months with a mandate to among other things conduct elections for the new association.
So far, the interim EXCO under the chairmanship of Joseph Adudu have put together a draft constitution, a guideline for elections, illegibility, and
The qualifications for publishers-membership have all been provided and made available at the secretariat.
The election is scheduled for the 28th April, 2019 and swearing in thereafter, while the manifesto might is on the 27, April, 2019.
As we work towards the birth of a New-publishers Association in the we want to assure the state government of a new publishing experience in the state and solicit for their partnership.
Institutions sending Industrial Training (IT) students to our publishing companies are assured of the best of our support and cooperation.
We like to equally thank all the publishers on the Plateau, and the various factions for shielding their swords to form a united front and assure all legible contestants of a level playing field, and a free, fair and credible election.
