The forthcoming administration of General Muhammadu Buhari has been urged by the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, to guarantee adequate protection of journalists and other media workers while its tenure lasts.
National President of the union, Malam Mohammed Garba, made the call in Kaduna yesterday as part of the activities marking this year’s World Press Freedom Day. He stressed that good governance cannot be achieved when the press does not have unfettered access to the process of governance.
Garba harped on the need for government to allow journalists freely go about their watchdog role in the society “if any positive impact is to be made in the fight against corruption.”
Speaking about the theme for this year’s celebration which is: “Let Journalism Thrive: Towards Better Reporting Gender Equality and Media Safety in Digital Age,” Garba explained that it examines issues such as free and independent journalism, and quality reporting in a digital age.
“This subject covers how media concentration impact on media’s role in self-regulation issues, the challenges to investigative journalism, hate speech and media information literacy,” he said.
The NUJ president further called on media practitioners to be responsible in their professional conduct, taking into cognizance their social responsibility as watchdog role in the society. This was as he charged them not to forget to always remind leaders about the importance of good governance.
In his remarks, Kaduna State Governor, Muktar Yero, who was represented by the state Commissioner for Information, Mr. Ben Bako, noted that Journalists should be inspired to bring about the respect which the profession deserves.
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