…As Uwagwu Takes A Bow
“…the Ministry hereby approve your (Ijeh) appointment as the Acting General Manager of DPPC being the next most senior officer (editorial) pending the appointment of a substantive GM by the governor’’.
BY PATRICK MGBODO
A new era has commenced at the Delta Printing and Publishing Cooperation (DPPC), publishers of The Pointer titles, following the retirement of its General Manager, Mr. Monday Uwagwu.
Consequently, Mr. Sam Ijeh, a former Editor-In-Chief of the state-owned media corporation was appointed to succeed Mr. Uwagwu who announced the appointment in a sensational valedictory speech.
A letter to authenticate Ijeh’s appointment from the Ministry of Information reads in part: ‘’In line with the Public Service rule, the Ministry hereby approve your (Ijeh) appointment as the Acting General Manager of DPPC being the next most senior officer (editorial) pending the appointment of a substantive GM by the governor’’.
Uwagwu seized the opportunity of his last official general meeting with staff members of the cooperation and thanked the workers for their cooperation and support, stressing that decisions taken, some of which may not have been palatable to some persons, were in the best interest of the establishment.
‘’I thank every one of you who has, in one way or the other, given vent to the manifestation of our aspirations through your cooperation and the latitude and benefits of your criticisms and advice’’ he said.
The outgoing General Manager said that his administration recorded 34 legacies in its four-year tenure, some of which include the provision of a conducive environment for staff members, packages for retirees, improved staff welfare, staff training, employment of more staff members and their refresher courses.
Others include enrichment of the titles, deepening harmony among staff members, purchase of circulation vehicles, upgrade of The Pointer website, cooperation with labour unions, accountability and prudent management of lean resources, among others.
He charged staff members to extend the same level of cooperation to his successor, just as he admonished the staff members to represent the cooperation through their dispositions and conducts, and not run the company aground.
In his remarks, the new GM, Mr. Ijeh, who started work as a sports reporter and rose through the ranks in the Editorial Department, thanked his immediate predecessor for a successful tenure.
Ijeh sued for the cooperation of staff members in uplifting the media house to enviable heights, just as he reminded journalists of The Pointer that ‘’our primary responsibility here is to propagate the activities and of the government.
‘’If the governor is doing well as encapsulated in his MORE Agenda and the people are not aware of his efforts, it means that we are not doing what we are supposed to be doing. We are doing well but we can do better’’ he said, adding that strategies would be put in place for better output.
Commenting, the Editorial Board Chairman, Mr. Tony Eke considered the event to be a momentous occasion, stressing that an internal takeover of the leadership of the organization should be sustained.
‘’We had always asked for this (internal takeover) and that was why we said that whoever would be chosen in 2019 would be supported despite the undercurrents that defined the process of the emergence of the GM. We did all that we could to ensure that he succeeded and we are happy to see this day.
‘’Therefore, what we have done today (yesterday) is simply a reenactment of what ought to have taken place since 2004 but for the invidious inclinations of certain persons. So, we hope that what we have witnessed would be a harbinger of better things to come’’ Eke said.
Meanwhile, one of the labour leaders, Joy Fasindor, commended the outgoing GM for his leadership, just as she congratulated the new GM as well as other members of management and staff.
Likewise, Mr. Patrick Mgbodo who spoke for the newly regularized staff members, saluted the outgoing GM, Uwagwu, for his commitment, among other things, to ensuring that former freelancers were integrated into the state civil service.