Action Aid task Nigerian journalists on professionalism
As the world commemorate International Day to end Impunity Against Journalists, Action Aid Nigeria has urged Nigerian Journalists to be professional in their dealings to be truthful in discharging their duties.
Action Aid Country Director Ene Obi during the commemoration of the day organized by Journalists Against Poverty yesterday in Abuja said “we are not crop of professionals who are feeble hearted, we are passionate and determined to be objective, truthful, accountable and fair even in the face of adversity.”
She lamented that despite the country being in Democratic dispensation, the Nigerian press have continued to face intimidation and in some climes murder.
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Stating statistics by UNESCO indicating that globally between 1999 and 2019 639 Journalists has been murdered while 16 of them were Nigerians, she stressed that in a democracy Journalists should not be targeted nor persecuted for executing their responsibility of informing and educating the public.
Obi said United Nation’s Secretary General Antonio Guterres noted that “when. Journalists are targeted, the society as a whole pay the price.
Without Journalists able to do their jobs safely we face the prospect of a world of confusion and disinformation”.
She said Action Aid as a non-partisan civil society say no to impunity against Journalists and condemn it in all totality.
The Head of Investigation desk Premium Times Mojeed Alabi in his remarks noted that any story that is not uncovering any anomalies are mere Public Relations work saying Journalists remain hope of the common man and there is need for more Investigative stories to correct wrongs in the society.
