Be wary of social media, NUJ Chairman warns Bauchi governor-elect

Bauchi State Governor-elect, Senator Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir has been advised to be wary of the dangers of social media as he begins his administration come May 29, 2019.

Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) Bauchi State Council,  Ibrahim Mallam Goje gave the advice on Saturday when the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Bauchi State, Ibrahim Abdullahi, paid a thank you visit to Journalists in the state for exhibiting high sense of professionalism before, during and after the conduct of the 2019 general elections in Bauchi State.

He said: “I want to urge the incoming administration to use the proper platform to disseminate their information in view of the negative impact of social media. People perceive information from social media as if it were from traditional media. The traditional media is a credible form of disseminating information and the members are professional and give nothing but the truth.

The NUJ Chairman added that, “I would like to use this opportunity to assure the incoming government of the readiness of journalists in the state to join hands with the administration to ensure that the government fulfil its promises”.

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On the visit by the REC, Mallam Goje described it as historic and assured that the members of the NUJ in the state would continue to support the Independent National Electoral Commission to discharge its duties effectively to the public.

In his remarks, the REC explained that the visit was to express INEC’s appreciation for the support given to the Commission in the state before, during and after the 2019 general election.

Ibrahim Abdullahi, who was in the company of other Senior members of the Commission in the state, said: “I commend you all for the wonderful, balanced, reportage, which is free of indulgence into calling reports as stories from the dreaded social media. Dreaded because most of the reports being churned out in the social media are either sponsored with deliberate motives towards the achievements of personal objectives.

“I am happy to note that throughout the election, both before and during the election we did not record this mad rush for breaking the news through the social media. I commend you and urge you to keep it up. You are a worthy partner in the election process particularly in Bauchi State”, he said.

The REC added that “In short, I want you to continue along that path so that our democracy will grow. In fact, the peace that we witnessed both before, during and immediately after the announcement of the results would not have been possible if you had indulged yourself in unprofessional reportage. Most of the time the information being churned out contribute to triggering tension. I am happy that you have lived up to the bidings. Please keep up the good work”.