Editor-in-chief, Ado Lawal,(left) with Liberian information minister, Eugene Nagbe
Mr Eugene Nagbe, the Liberian Minister of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism, has stated that exchange of information between the news agencies of Nigeria and Liberia will further cement the brotherly relationship existing between the two countries.
Nagbe was speaking on Monday in Monrovia while receiving the Editor-In-Chief of the News Agency of Nigeria , Malam Lawal Ado, on a courtesy visit.
The minister stated the role played by Nigeria to bring Liberia to what it is today would always be appreciated and never to be forgotten.
He stated that he knew, as a journalist himself, that information is power and therefore welcomed any move by the two agencies to cooperate in information gathering and dissemination.
As stated by him, the Liberia News Agency (LINA) is just growing and therefore needs all the assistance it can get to develop beyond what it is today.
He thanked for finding it worthy to partner with LINA, and assured that his ministry and the government of Liberia are in support of that partnership.
Earlier, Ado had told the minister that he was in Liberia to represent his Managing Director, Mr Bayo Ouga, to conclude the agreement between the two agencies that started about a year ago.
He stated that the move for the agreement started when LINA Director General, Mr Jay Sloh, sent a representative to requesting for the two countries to enter into news exchange cooperation.
As stated by him, further discussion went ahead between the two agencies in November 2016, in Baku, Azerbaijan, and Casablanca, Morocco, in December 2016.
He stated that was ready to partner with LINA in the exchange of hard news, photographs, multimedia, training and visits.
Ado stated he was therefore in Monrovia to conclude the signing of the agreement in order to immediately put it into effect.
On his part, the LINA director-general, Mr Jay Sloh, appealed to , governments, organizations, individuals and other media houses to come to the aid of LINA which was just trying to grow.
As stated by Sloh, the agency needs assistance in the areas of internet facilities, transportation, desktop computers, recorders, laptops and finance in order for it to function effectively.
He stated that the agency was still finding it difficult to receive reports from its a News Media correspondent in the 15 counties of the country as they were operating without all those facilities earlier mentioned.
He stated the signing of the agreement with was like opening a new chapter in the history of LINA, and that should do everything possible to assist the agency.
Ado was accompanied on the visit to the minister and LINA by the Head of the Mission at the Nigerian Embassy in Liberia, Mr Mohammed Tahir.