The Nigeria Union of Journalists,
NUJ, said it will use every available means to resist any attempt to truncate
democracy in Nigeria.
The union said that democracy had
come to stay in Nigeria and would use all legitimate means available to members
of the Fourth Estate of the Realm to defend the democratic structure in the
country.
The National President of the
Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Comrade Abdulwaheed Odusile, made the
declaration in Kaduna, Wednesday at the NUJ national colloquium on elections,
corruption and roadmap to 2019 organized by the Kaduna council in collaboration
with the Pax-community Partnership Projects, PCPP.
Comrade Odusile who stated this
as part of his contribution to the theme of the colloquium, “2015 polls:
Reminiscence, Lessons, Challenges and Projections” said the colloquium is
coming at the right time, in x-raying the 2015 elections to serve as a guide to
2019 elections.
He called on relevant authorities
to thoroughly investigate those behind the plans to truncate democracy and
punish those that may be found guilty to serve as deterrent to others that may
contemplate such in the future.
“The NUJ will resist any attempt to change the present democratic government, we will not allow any attempt to truncate democracy in Nigeria because democracy has come to stay in Nigeria,” he reiterated.
Comrade Odusile who described NUJ
Kaduna council as the heartbeat of journalism in Nigeria, tasked Journalists
on the need to be guided in their reportage and avoid reports capable of
creating crisis in the polity of the nation.
The President commended the
Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for announcing the 2019 general
election dates, which he said would help political parties to prepare ahead of
time.
He, however, called on the
electoral body to organize a retreat regarding the activities and monitoring of
political parties, suggesting that the media should also be part of such
retreat as an arm of government expected to hold the government accountable and
monitor it’s activities.
“The government need to create an enabling environment for the media to carry out its constitutional responsibilities, and on this note, the NUJ condemn in totality the demolition of a media outfit in Nasarawa State,” Comrade Odusile observed.
Earlier in his welcome address,
the Kaduna State council Chairman, Comrade Adamu Yusuf also stressed the need
to build on the gains of 2015 general elections and sustain the, “one-man-one
vote” legacy and further ensure the effectiveness of the card reader system to
reduce to the barest minimum all acts of election rigging and manipulations.
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