Leadership (Abuja)
Betrand Nwankwo
28 December 2008
Abuja — The Minister of Information and Communications, Professor Dora Akunyili, has pledged to reactivate the Nigeria's website: www.nigeria.gov.ng. She made the pledge at a meeting with heads of parastatals and directors in the ministry in Abuja.
The minister was not happy that the official government website launched in 2005 has been short down for many months now.
"Today, we live in an information age where access to information should be made readily available, and yet information about Nigeria from Nigeria is not easily accessible. While I congratulate the various parastatals such as FRCN, NAN, NFVB, NCC and NIPOST on having active websites that showcase their parastatals, I find it disheartening that the Ministry of Information and Communications does not have a website."
She continued, "It is also very discomforting that our flagship corporation , the NTA, does not have a website. It is unfortunate that the official government website www.nigeria.gov.ng which was launched in 2005, and recorded hits of 1.3million accesses in its first year, making it one of the most viable national websites in the world, has been shut down for many months."
Addressing the heads of the parastatals in the ministry and the directors, Akunyili promised to reactivate the website. She minister directed that every parastatal under her ministry must have an active and vibrant website up and running before the end of March 2009.
"On our part, before the end of March 2009, this ministry will create a vibrant website that will enable people around the world to find everything they need to know about Nigeria in a click. This will be an interactive website that will allow people to ask questions and get answers. It will also provide polling opportunities as an avenue to know the feelings and desires of our people on various issues", the minister said.
She said her mission is to re-brand the product Nigeria through responsible and efficient information dissemination.
"To re-brand any product, it needs to be reformulated to improve its value, and repackaged to enhance its external appeal. In the same way, the re-branding of our dear country Nigeria has two segments.
"The first is reformulation which is the responsibility of all Nigerians, and this basically involves our collective attitudinal change. Repackaging Nigeria to be an attractive and acceptable brand is the responsibility of the Ministry of Information and Communications, and we need to assure Nigerians that we are committed to play our part effectively and efficiently," she stated.
Concluding, the minister disclosed that her priority is to undertake responsible information management through effective information dissemination.
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