NAN seeks strengthened collaboration with Glo

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) has called for strengthened collaboration with indigenous telecomms company, Globacom.

NAN reports that the Managing Director and management staff had paid a Meet and Greet courtesy visit to Globacom office in Lagos on Thursday.

The Managing Director, NAN, Malam Ali M. Ali, said that he considered it important that after his appointment, he should interface with great indigenous companies like Globacom.

Ali M. Ali said that Glo had in the last two decades become synonymous with excellence.

“Globacom has taken a leading position, and we congratulate you for crashing the price of per minute billing that actually changed the dynamics of telecommunication and navigating the telecoms sector for two decades.

“Globacom is what it is due to the array of very senior media marketing executives of competence and quality it parades.

“That is why I said we must interface and advertise some of our products, seek partnership as well as see how we can have a more enduring mutually beneficial relationship.

”We thank you for the open invitation. In the News Agency of Nigeria, we have the multimedia, the General News Service, the PR Wire which I recommend strongly that you take advantage of.

”Like I said, no one knows Nigeria better, no one has the reach that NAN has globally and continentally. We report Nigeria to Africa and Africa to the rest of the world,” he said.

The managing director explained that some of the array of the new products that the agency had which would fit perfectly well with a telecom giant like Globacom were the PR Wire, and the General News Service (GNS).

He said that partnering with NAN would be mutual and beneficial, as the agency would provide the news, while the telecom giant would provide the platform.

He also noted that from the structure of the agency, large number of people would be reached.

According to him, if you partner with NAN, it takes the right news to the people at the click of subscription and everybody will smile.

”The world is gradually becoming increasingly smaller, largely, because of the breakthroughs in telecommunications and I think this is an opportunity.

”Government-funded media is more circumspect and that is why it is trusted. In NAN, you will find a partner that validates and revalidates,” the NAN managing director said.

While giving more insight into the services provided by NAN, the Editor-in-Chief, NAN, Mr Ephraim Sheyin, explained that the PR Wire gave clients the opportunity to publish their story verbatim.

He added that the agency also had an SMS Alert Service, among others.

Sheyin said that as the biggest agency in Africa, the agency maintained speed, accuracy and credibility, but would sacrifice speed for accuracy and credibility, especially in this era of sensational news.

“NAN has wide coverage in all the states of the country, and a partnership with the organisation would be mutually beneficial as it would help reach even the remote places through its district offices.

“Through this partnership, NAN will be able to help publicise any of your products and help with sensitising the public through our medium on challenges faced by the organisation at any point in time,” Sheyin said.

Responding, the Ag. Director, Communication, Globacom, Mr Levi Nyakundi, said that Globacom was a quintessential Nigeria brand and speaks everything Nigerian.

He said that Globacom had been part and parcel of Nigeria in the corporate world, Sports, culture and everywhere.

Nyakundi said that the organisation loved to partner with relevant organisations so as to be able to tell its story with partners.

He said that the Globacom leadership had been very keen to establish this partnership, especially with the media to ensure telling the story.

”I do not doubt that the leadership of the organisation wants to continue to ensure that it is part and parcel of the story of Nigeria and this visit is very important for us to get to know the NAN management.

Also, the Head, Communications, Arinze Anapugar, said that in spite of the proliferation of the media; NAN had the credibility that it stood for.

Anapugar noted that for those in communication, collaboration was valued so much, adding that the mutual support was greatly valued and sued for positive coverage for the company at all time.

He said that the services rendered by the company was very sensitive and needed to be powered at all times, even when there was power outage.

According to him, at times, there are fibre cut as a result of road construction which affects subscribers and all the subscriber knows is that Glo is not doing well in providing the services.

He said there was therefore the need to sensitise the public at all times.

”So, Glo needs all the support of its partners and values the relationship. We will take it higher in engaging you and reaching you on anything that we have, to see how we can get it to the public.

‘’Your support is essential to us as communication people and then for the company at large” Anapugar said. (NAN)(

By Stellamaris Ashinze