NUJ Tasks FG On Safety Of Journalists

The FCT Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has called on President Bola Tinubu to unveil his administration’s plan on safety measures and protection of media practitioners and workers in Nigeria.

The chapel said it had observed the toxic and hostile environment in which Nigerian journalists have been operating over the years, describing the situation as absurd, ridiculous and unacceptable.

It stated this yesterday in a statement jointly signed by Comrade Jide Oyekunle, chairman of FCT Correspondents Chapel, and Raphael Oni, the secretary, to commemorate this year’s World Press Freedom Day in Abuja.

“Today, we join the rest of the world to mark this year’s World Press Freedom Day. It is expedient to remind the Nigerian government of its legal obligation to defend and protect the fundamental rights of the Nigerian people including press freedom and freedom of expression as guaranteed by Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution and Article 19 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

“The media space is becoming shrinking, hostile and suffocating on a daily basis due to intolerant posture of some government officials to criticisms and dissenting voices.

“We therefore call on President Bola Tinubu to come out clearly with comprehensive safety measures and mechanisms put in place for Nigerian journalists and media workers to enable them perform their essential and constitutional role in democracy.

“Journalists in Nigeria face significant risks, including harassment, intimidation and physical attacks while carrying out their statutory duties.

“We demand concrete steps from government to guarantee the protection of journalists while carrying out their roles as watchdogs.

“We demand that those who had attacked journalists in the past and infringed on press freedom are brought to justice forthwith.

“We demand accountability from  government and security agents in Nigeria. The security operatives who act with impunity and have no respect for democratic tenets and values should be made to face the full wrath of the law,” the statement said.