Bayelsa Education Trust Fund seeks stronger media partnership

 Nathan Tamarapreye, Yenagoa

The Bayelsa Education Trust Fund (EDTF) has called for a stronger partnership with the media to advance education and promote sustainable development in the state.

The appeal was made on Thursday by the Chairman of the EDTF, High Chief Fidelis Agbiki, during a familiarisation visit to the Federated Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Bayelsa State Council. Agbiki led the Executive Secretary of the Fund, Prof. Ebimieowei Etebu, and other members of the newly inaugurated Board on the visit.

Agbiki, who also chairs the Board’s Publicity and Sensitisation Committee, said the visit was necessary following the inauguration of the third EDTF Board in October 2025. He noted that the media had remained a critical partner of the Fund since its inception, stressing the need to sustain and strengthen that relationship.

“We are here to introduce the new board and to thank the media for the support you have always given the EDTF. We are also soliciting your continued partnership, understanding and cooperation,” he said.

“When you are a friend of the press, you are a friend of the community. We want the cordial relationship we have built over time to be sustained.”

In his remarks, the Executive Secretary, Prof. Etebu, urged journalists to project the activities of the Fund in ways that would promote unity, growth and development in the state.

Although newly appointed, Etebu said he was not new to the education sector, adding that his passion for youth development had driven his career for over three decades.

“I have always believed that once you have a vibrant and educated youth, society has a future,” he said.

“When young people are educated, the future is bright, but when they derail, society is sitting on a time bomb. That has been my driving force.”

He explained that this conviction inspired him to accept the role of Executive Secretary, appealing to the media to use their platforms to positively showcase the Fund’s activities.

Responding, the Chairman of the Federated Correspondents’ Chapel, Mr Tife Owolabi, commended the EDTF for the visit and for recognising the media as key stakeholders. He urged the Board to maintain open channels of communication with journalists to enable fact-checking, verification and balanced reporting.