Editors in the country
under the auspices of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) have put government to
task by asking them to resolve all cases concerning journalists killed by
brining perpetrators to book, reports ITRealms.
President of the
Guild, Mrs Funke Egbemode in a press statement made available to ITRealms by
the General Secretary, Ms Victoria Ibanga on the occasion of World Press
Freedom day 2018, felicitated with
colleagues and friends across the country and around the world.
“It is also an
occasion to congratulate all journalists around the world especially those in
Nigeria and indeed, Africa, on their resolve to weather the storm to remain
afloat, in spite of harsh economic conditions and environment,” she said.
Also, she noted that the World
Press Freedom Day was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in
December 1993, following the recommendation of UNESCO's General Conference. The
objective was to raise awareness on the importance of freedom of the press and
remind governments of their duty to respect and uphold the Right to Freedom of
Expression, enshrined under Article 19 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of
Human Rights. Since the Declaration of Windhoek, the anniversary is celebrated
annually worldwide as World Press Freedom Day on May 3.
This year’s event, she
said, called for sober reflection as it also affords us the opportunity to
assess the state of press freedom, state of the media in our country and
empathise and pay tribute to our colleagues who have lost their lives in the
course of performing their Constitutional responsibility, as well as those in
different prisons all over the world.
Flowing from the theme
of this year’s celebration, “Keeping Power in Check: Media, Justice", we
join all well-meaning organisations such as the United Nations (UN) to call on
the government to create an enabling legal environment for press freedom and
give special attention to the role of an independent Judiciary in ensuring legal
guarantees for press freedom and the prosecution of crimes against journalists.
It is also
important to mention that impunity and all forms of oppressions and molestation
must stop. More importantly, governments must begin to treat the Media as an
ally in development and nation building.
As a matter of fact,
the history of Nigeria cannot be written without a mention of the role the
Media played in the struggle for independence, enthronement of democracy and
promotion and propagation of social justice and human rights. Having acquitted
itself thus, its operators and indeed, journalists, do not deserve to be
treated with anything less than respect and decorum in the course of performing
their Constitutional responsibility.
While we call on
governments and the political class to recognise the role of the Media in
sustainable development, especially during the forthcoming elections - as a
watchdog fostering transparency, accountability and the rule of law, we
reiterate the fact that it is the responsibilities of governments and relevant
institutions to protect journalists from physical harm and intimidation.
Regrettably, she
pointed out that all is not well with the media industry in Nigeria. The cost
of production materials is having a devastating effect on daily operations and
the survival of the media in general. This development, no doubt, has affected
payment of monthly emoluments of media workers, thus creating an atmosphere of
uncertainty and in effect, reducing the general morale of journalists in the
country.
“While the media
industry has supported all other sectors of the economy, it is left to bear the
brunt of everything that has gone wrong with the economy. We are losing revenue
and forced to reduce manpower. It is important to call the attention of all on
a day like this that a nation whose economy does not and cannot support the
economy of its Media industry cannot thumb its chest that its press is free. A
broke Media industry has no press freedom and is, therefore, far from being
free, for as long as the economic shackles are firmly in place.
“On our part as
members of the Fourth Estate of the Realm, we must collectively play our role
in the interest of the generality of Nigerians whose trust we hold by
maintaining and observing the highest professional and ethical standards in
total compliance with the Code of Ethics of the Journalism profession. We must
not allow agents of retrogression to use our platforms to preach hate and
extremism under the guise of free speech.
“We call on the
government and security agencies to reopen and urgently resolve all pending
cases of attacks and killings of Journalists and Media workers in the country
and bring perpetrators to book, to serve as deterrent to others.
“While we condole with
the families of our colleagues who paid the supreme price in the course of
serving humanity, we celebrate all our colleagues who have continually defied
the odds to shine the light into the darkest places, hold government
accountable to the people and tell compelling stories about our communities and
nation. We salute your courage,” Egbemode said.
Uj. N. Dominic/GEE
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