The reported exclusion of the Kano State Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Comrade Ibrahim Abdullahi Waiya, from the recently held Northern Media Summit has continued to generate discussion among media stakeholders, with many questioning why the state’s chief information officer was absent from a gathering dedicated to media development.
The summit, held on Monday at the Coronation Hall of the Kano State Government House under the theme “Northern Media Summit,” brought together social media influencers, digital content creators and other participants. However, several observers noted that many mainstream media organizations and professional media bodies were not represented.
For many stakeholders, the absence of the Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs became one of the major talking points, given the ministry’s statutory responsibility for government information, public communication and media relations in Kano State.
Sources familiar with the planning of the summit alleged that Comrade Ibrahim Abdullahi Waiya was neither involved in the conception nor the organization of the event. They further claimed that he was not formally invited despite the pivotal role of his office in coordinating government information and communication.
Some participants also questioned whether the programme lived up to the expectations associated with a summit of that nature. They argued that an event bearing the title “Northern Media Summit” should have brought together representatives of print, broadcast, online and community media, alongside digital content creators and social media influencers.
Stakeholders maintained that involving the Ministry of Information from the planning stage would have provided better coordination, encouraged wider participation and strengthened the overall organization of the event.
They called on organizers of future media-related programmes to adopt a more inclusive approach by engaging all relevant stakeholders, including government information managers, professional media associations, journalists’ unions, broadcasters, newspaper publishers and digital media practitioners.
According to them, meaningful conversations on the future of the media can only be achieved through broad participation, institutional collaboration and respect for established communication structures, with the Ministry of Information playing its statutory coordinating role.
As discussions continue, stakeholders say future media summits should ensure that all key stakeholders, particularly the Ministry of Information, are involved from the planning stage through implementation to promote greater coordination and inclusiveness.
Abdu Saidu