USDMPF Takes Media Advocacy to Grassroots, Seeks Stronger Partnership with Government

USDMPF Takes Media Advocacy to Grassroots, Seeks Stronger Partnership with Government

The political season may still be gathering momentum, but for the Uyo Senatorial District Media Professionals’ Forum (USDMPF), the work of shaping the narrative has already begun.

The Forum, a media advocacy organisation with a political mobilisation mandate, has opened a fresh channel of engagement with the communication machinery of the Akwa Ibom State Government through separate visits to the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Ekerete Udoh, and the Commissioner for Information, Rt. Hon. Aniekan Umanah.

The engagements by the newly elected leadership were more than introductory visits. They signalled a deliberate effort to place effective communication at the centre of the Forum’s grassroots mobilisation strategy in support of Governor Umo Eno’s re-election and the electoral aspirations of other All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders from the Akwa Ibom North East Senatorial District, also known as the Uyo Senatorial District.

Led by its President, Mr. Clement Warrie, and the Secretary of the Board of Trustees, Venerable Richard Peters, the delegation first visited the Chief Press Secretary, where the new executive was formally introduced.

The meeting also provided an opportunity to discuss the need for constructive engagement between the Forum and government communication structures.

Receiving the delegation, Udoh welcomed the initiative and commended the Forum for reaching out to key stakeholders in the state’s information and communication architecture. He stressed the importance of responsible journalism, accurate information and effective communication in promoting understanding between government and citizens.

Mr. Ekerette Udoh also encouraged the media professionals to maintain high ethical standards and use their various platforms to contribute positively to the development of the state.

The Chief Press Secretary assured the Forum of his openness to engagements that would improve the flow of information and help citizens gain a clearer understanding of government policies and programmes.

The delegation later proceeded to the Ministry of Information, where the Commissioner, Rt Hon. Aniekan Umanah received the new executive.

The meeting provided a broader platform for the Forum to explain its objectives and explore possible areas of cooperation with the Ministry, particularly in public enlightenment, information dissemination and strategic communication.

Explaining the purpose of the visit, the President, Mr. Clement Warrie said the Forum was determined to establish a productive relationship with the Ministry that would enable media professionals in the Uyo Senatorial District to play a more effective role in public communication.

He noted that the media remained one of the most important links between government and the people, stressing that citizens could only properly assess government policies and programmes when they had access to timely, credible and understandable information.

The President expressed the Forum’s willingness to collaborate in communicating the policies, programmes and achievements of the Umo Eno administration, particularly at the grassroots.

But beneath the language of media collaboration lies a clearly defined political objective.

USDMPF is positioning itself as a vehicle for grassroots mobilisation in support of Governor Eno’s re-election and the success of other APC leaders from the Uyo Senatorial District.

Its strategy is based on the belief that effective political mobilisation must go beyond political meetings and official pronouncements to reach the communities where voters live.

For the Forum, therefore, the media professional is not merely a reporter of political events. He is also a communicator who can explain policies, interrogate issues and help communities understand the implications of government decisions.

Responding, Umanah welcomed the initiative and expressed the Ministry’s readiness to work with the Forum in advancing public enlightenment and strategic communication.

He highlighted some of the achievements of the Governor Eno administration and its emphasis on people-centred governance and development across the state.

The engagement then moved from conversation to demonstration when Umanah personally led the delegation on a tour of the Ministry’s newly refurbished ultramodern broadcast studio facility.

The tour gave the media professionals a firsthand view of the broadcasting and media production facilities being developed to strengthen the state’s communication capacity.

For a group whose principal asset is communication, the significance of the facility was clear.
Modern public and political communication is no longer confined to newspapers, radio and television. It is now a contest for attention across multiple platforms, where speed, production quality, credibility and reach can determine whether a message is heard or lost.

The new studio therefore offered the Forum a practical demonstration of the communication possibilities available to a government seeking to take its message to a wider audience.

The two visits also brought into sharper focus the peculiar position of USDMPF.
It is a forum of media professionals, but its mandate extends to political advocacy and mobilisation. That dual identity presents both an opportunity and a responsibility.

The opportunity lies in the professional reach of its members and their access to communities across the senatorial district. The responsibility is to ensure that political advocacy does not undermine the credibility that remains the foundation of effective media practice.

The Forum’s leadership appears to recognise this distinction. At both engagements, emphasis was placed on accuracy, professionalism, responsible journalism and constructive communication.

The visits, therefore, marked the beginning rather than the conclusion of the Forum’s engagement with government communication structures.

The next phase will be to take that engagement beyond the offices of the Chief Press Secretary and the Commissioner for Information into the communities, wards and constituencies that make up the Uyo Senatorial District.

That is where the Forum’s media advocacy and political mobilisation objectives will ultimately be tested.
And if the tone of its first engagements is anything to go by, USDMPF intends to make information a central instrument in that journey.

The President was accompanied by the Secretary of the Board of Trustees, Venerable Richard Peters, and members of the Executive Council, including the Vice President, Uyo Federal Constituency and Deputy President, Mr. Charles Akpan; Vice President, Etinan Federal Constituency, Mr. Edidiong Ita; Deputy Director, ICT and Graphics Design, Mr. Iberedem Peter; Director of Programmes, Mr. Godwin Edet; Director of Print Media, Mr. Etebong Akpan; Deputy Director of Visuals, Mr. Idorenyin Inyang; Deputy Director, External Relations and Outreach, Comrade Samuel Bassey; and Deputy Director of Programmes, Mr. Iniobong Samuel Iwaudofia.