The Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi has restated
that the freedom of the press should not be repressed in the country despite
the perceived inadequacies on the part of some practitioners.
Fayemi insisted that no matter the excesses being exhibited
by the press, under no guise should its freedom be abridged or tinkered with.
The Chairman, Nigeria’s Governors’ Forum, spoke in Ado
Ekiti, on Thursday evening, during a dinner organised by the Catholic Bishop of
Ekiti Diocese, Most Rev Felix Ajakaye, for members of the Nigeria Union of
Journalists (NUJ), Ekiti Council.
Fayemi contended that journalists had etched their names
indelibly in the history of the country, having at various times fought for
Nigeria’s independence and cleared the way for Nigeria to navigate to
constitutional democracy from the military junta.
“In the fight for our Independence and the sustained
agitations against the military for the journey to Nigeria democracy,
journalists played prominent roles, even at the risk of their lives and jobs,”
he said.
“The press stands for the people . It is the voice of the
voiceless. Though, you may have some things that appear so terrifying now that
we have social media, because of lack of control, but you still have to go to
the mainstream journalism to confirm, because they have control and
gatekeepers, who can be held accountable.
“Even if there are excesses, the freedom of the press should
not be restrained. We should look for other ways to correct these perceived
inadequacies”.
Fayemi said governing Ekiti has been so challenging since
2018 due to paucity of funds, saying he would continue to look for humble ways
to seek the understanding of Ekiti people about his policies and delivery while
also maintaining prudence in the management of the state’s scarce resources.
Based on the request of the NUJ Chairman in Ekiti, Com.
Rotimi Ojomoyela, demanding a befitting Press Centre from the government,
Fayemi promised to set machinery in motion to ensure that the project comes to
fruition.
Bishop Ajakaye, who advised Fayemi against leaving politics
for dirty people after bowing out in 2022, charged him to look inwards and
bring a successor that can sustain and consolidate the gains of democracy for
Ekiti citizens after his departure.
Advising Fayemi, the cleric, who is also a journalist, said:
“Don’t leave politics for those who do things the old ways.
“Politics is not a dirty game, but we have dirty people in
it. I will call Governor Fayemi and his wife, Erelu Bisi Fayemi, to come and
face us after leaving office and plead with them not to leave politics for
those who loved to do things the old ways.
“I have also told him to give us a good successor, because
success without a good successor is a failure in reality”, he stated.
The Catholic Bishop promised the realisation of his vision
to raise a sum of N1 billion to fund education and health in the state,
branding the two sectors as pivotal to the survival of Ekiti.
Bishop Ajakaye described the dinner, attended by
journalists, political appointees, heads of security formations and higher
institutions in Ekiti, as a way of recognising the newsmen for their roles in
building a Nigerian society we can be proud of .
The NUJ Chairman applauded the Bishop for his immeasurable
love for journalists operating in the state, assuring that his colleagues would
continue to exhibit and promote those ideas that would add panache to
journalism practice.
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com