The Kano State House of Assembly has screened the Director-General of Media and Publicity at the Government House, Alhaji Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, following his nomination as a commissioner.
The screening took place on Tuesday after Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf formally submitted the names of Dawakin Tofa and Hon. Balarabe Sa’idu Gani to the Assembly on Monday for screening and confirmation.
This was disclosed in a statement issued by the Director of Public Enlightenment at the Government House, Usman Gwadabe, on Tuesday.
During the plenary, the Speaker of the Assembly, Jibril Ismail Falgore, welcomed Dawakin Tofa and asked him to give lawmakers an overview of his personal and professional background.
After his presentation, members of the Assembly questioned him on issues affecting different sectors, particularly government communication and media management.
Responding to questions on how to improve the government’s relationship with the media and manage the digital media space, Dawakin Tofa, who has more than 22 years of professional experience in journalism, said proactive information management was important in addressing public communication challenges.
He proposed collaboration between the Assembly and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation to develop laws guiding the use of social media in line with Kano State’s cultural norms and societal values.
The commissioner-designate also promised to strengthen government-owned media organisations to improve their performance and competitiveness.
He specifically said Triumph Publishing Company should continue producing printed newspapers and other publications, while a substantive head should be appointed to manage its affairs.
Dawakin Tofa also promised to reposition Radio Kano Corporation and Abubakar Rimi Television, ARTV, to improve their operations and capacity.
He thanked Governor Yusuf for nominating him and the lawmakers for conducting the screening, pledging to promote a positive image of Kano State.