Take The Pointer Newspapers Beyond Delta – Asagba of Asaba Tasks DPPCL

The Authorities of the Delta Printing and Publishing Company Limited (DPPCL), publishers of The Pointer titles; have been challenged to give the newspapers a national spread in order to expand their readership across the country.

The Asagba of Asaba, His Royal Majesty, Prof Epiphany Azinge, SAN, OON; gave the charge when a delegation of the Board and Management of the state-owned newspaper house paid him a courtesy visit.

He said, like The Observer Newspaper of old, The Pointer titles should be dominant in the print media space, stressing that restricting them to Delta State was tantamount to determining their fate so early in the day.

The Monarch said steps should be taken to nationalise The Pointer titles so that people, especially Deltans, in Abuja, Lagos, Jos, among other places, could read the papers every morning and be abreast of happenings in the state, insisting that The Pointer should be their first port of call before any other newspaper.

“All of us go for Vanguard because we see it as the newspaper that seems to speak for Delta. The Pointer should also be as dominant as Vanguard is, and that should be the challenge before you. Do not restrict your horizon; to do so is to determine your fate so early in the day. Let the challenge be how you can upgrade yourself; how you can push the frontiers. If you are able to achieve that then you can say you have a success of your appointment”, Nna Agu told the visiting DPPCL Board and Management delegation.

The Asagba noted that though the visit was belated, he would cooperate with the media outfit and support its understandings, because in the fullness of time, the Asaba Kingdom would always be part of the coverage area of the newspapers.

In an address, the Chairman, DPPCL, Pastor Austine Igbine; commended Asagba Prof Azinge for the radiant excellence he had exuded since ascending the throne, noting that in the past 16 months His Royal Majesty had not only consolidated the achievements of his predecessor; he had also intensified the momentum, repositioning Asaba to unimaginable heights through innovative reforms and interventions.

Pastor Igbine said DPPCL, the flagship print media organisation of the Delta State Government; could boast of an array of brilliant minds and competent hands, adding that the outfit had over the years remained steadfast in realising its mission statement: “to practice journalism in the classic newspaper tradition that best represents the interest of, and generates benefits to all stakeholders”.

He stated that despite obvious challenges, The Pointer titles were gradually and steadily finding their feet under the gentle guidance of the State Governor, Rt. Hon Sheriff Obborevwori, who appointed the establishment’s first-ever female General Manager, in its over three decades of existence, Mrs Rosemary Nwaebuni, and a committed Board of Directors.

The Board Chairman wished the Asagba a prosperous reign and reaffirmed DPPCL’s loyalty and dedication to documenting his enduring legacy, while expressing the hope that the organisation’s partnership with the palace would yield a harvest of progress that would echo for generations.

In her remarks, the General Manager of the Corporation, Mrs Rosemary Nwaebuni; urged Nna Agu to accept the organisation into the league of others he held very dear to his heart, expressing confidence that with God and the support of the Monarch, the sky would be the starting point for The Pointer titles.