Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara says the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) is an authentic news source of repute in Africa.
AbdulRazaq said this when he received the Managing Director of NAN, Malam Ali Muhammad Ali in Ilorin.
The governor commended NAN as a reliable source and voice of Africa in propagating Nigeria at national and international levels, adding that one cannot go wrong listening to NAN.
He encouraged the agency to strengthen its ties, propagate Nigeria to garner investments and investors, adding that Kwara State is ready to collaborate with NAN.
“Obviously NAN’s mandate then and up till now is to propagate Nigeria at the sub-national, national and international levels.
“You will recall moments after 1976, in the apartheid era, Africa did not have a voice, the voice of Africa then was NAN.
“NAN is investment tools for Nigeria and we are looking forward to working with the agency.”
He commanded the agency for planning to open district offices in Omu-Aran and Kosubosu in Kwara-South and North respectively.
“Who would have thought of Kosubosu which is next to Chikanda, from Chikanda to Benin Republic, so this tells you that NAN’s footprint is all over the place.
“If you go to remote places, you will get all the right information,” the governor said.
Earlier, NAN MD, Ali, commended Gov. AbdulRazaq for his development strides in infrastructure, healthcare, workers’ welfare, among others in the state.
“Since yesterday that we arrived in the state, we noticed a huge repositioning in the whole state.
“Your re-election is a testimony of what you did in the first tenure.
“Your re-election in Kwara watered the political temperature of Kwara State.”
He said that NAN is the only resident News Agency from Africa, resident in the United Nations.
“We are present in all the 36 states of the nation and in Kwara we have a 12-man team and we hope that with the support of the state government we plan to open our district offices in Kosubosu and Omu-Aran.
“Your Excellency, we will take you as a natural ally of NAN, which prides itself as ‘if you talk to NAN, you are talking to all, and we say, no one knows Nigeria better’.
“So with NAN, you can rest assured that your trumpet, which you are reluctant to blow yourself, will be blown to high levels,” the NAN boss said.
