FG not antagonistic to Journalists ―NUJ President

WAHEED Odusile, National President, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), has commended the Federal Government for the cordial relationship existing between the executive and journalists in Nigeria.

He made the commendation on Wednesday in Sokoto at the celebration of the 2017 edition of World Press Freedom Day.

The theme of the 2017 World Press Freedom Day is: “Critical Minds for Critical Times: Media’s Role in Advancing Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies.”

Represented by Mr Shehu Ahmed, Secretary, Zone ”A”, Odusile confirmed that the federal government, under President Muhammadu Buhari had not been antagonistic but friendly to journalists.

“This is truly so if not for the recent expulsion of the Punch reporter from the villa; that was just an isolated act of an overzealous security agent,” he said.

The NUJ President, while stressing the need for sustenance of the relationship, called on journalists to be objective in their reportage.

In his remarks, Sokoto state Commissioner of Information, Alhaji Abdulkadir Jeli, urged the media to be fair and accurate in their reportage.

He said that freedom of information entails dissemination of knowledge and ideas without hindrance.

The chairman of the occasion, Alhaji Abu Shekara, called for the protection of the rights of journalists, as well as improvement of their welfare.

Shekara is the Managing Director, Sokoto State Media Corporation,

In a paper he presented at the occasion, the state Commissioner of Justice, Mr Suleiman Usman, stated that a free and independent media plays vital role in promoting social security.

“It can also contribute in making Nigeria a free and democratic nation; a just and egalitarian society and a land of equity with full opportunities for its citizens,” he said.

The state chairman of the NUJ, Mr Isa Shuni, said that the celebration of the day provided opportunity to assess the state of press freedom in Nigeria.

He added that it also provided opportunity to brainstorm on how to surmount the challenges facing media practitioners in Nigeria.

Shuni called for the provision of sustainable free and conducive environment for the media to operate.