By Suzan Edeh, Bauchi
Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State has uged Journalists in the state to be fair and objective in their reportage of events in order to contribute to the development of the country.
Governor Mohammed stated this durimg the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Bauchi State Council Media summit that held at the State Secretariat Bauchi.
Represented the Chief of Staff at Bauchi State Government House, Aminu Gamawa, the Governor said his administration acknowledges the role of journalists as partners in development, adding that his government has embraced transparency, inclusiveness and regular communication with the people.
“This summit comes at a crucial moment not just for media professionals, but for democracy and our nation.In an age of digital disruption, misinformation and political polarisation, the role of journalists is more crucial than ever”
“The media has the power inform or to mislead, to unite or to divide, to hold power accountable or to become its tool.It is therefore imperative that we strengthen ethical journalism, support fact based reporting and uphold the sacred principles of truth, fairness and balance”
” As a government, we consider journalists not as adversaries, but as allies in our journey towards good governance, equity and prosperity for all.We are proud to have made significant investments in infrastructure, education, healthcare, agriculture, youth empowerment and we will continue to ensure that these efforts are communicated accurately, responsively and constructively”he said
Speaking earlier, the National President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) is Alhassan Yahaya urged journalists to be mindful of thier safety and security while covering activities of banditry, kidnappings and terrorism, saying that nobody can provide security for journalists except themselves.
Represented the former NUJ National Secretary, Shuaibu Usman Leman, the NUJ National President advocated for a bail out fund for the media, saying that most media houses are unable to pay salaries of thier staff because most of them power their media house with generators as a result of the failure of the public power system.
“There is decay and collapse of infrastructure across the country, Nigeria is in ruins, there is hunger, poverty and natural disasters in the country and our leaders are not doing what they are supposed to do to mitigate these problems” he said
In his address, the Convener of the media summit and NUJ Chairman Bauchi Council, Comrade Umar Sa’idu said that the media summit is an occasion that brings together stakeholders in the media industry which include media chief executives, former council chairmen, head of media organisations and practicing journalists to discuss on how to leverage on the media profession in order to meet international best practice.
He said that the aim of the media summit is to compliment the efforts of the state government in revitalising the media industry in the state even as he commended the state government for enhancing the standard of the State own media organisations, particularly in the digitalisation of state media organisations.
According to him, journalists play a vital role in promoting good governance and serve as watch dogs of society hold those accountable in power as well as being a voice to the voiceless in the society.
While urging journalists to report accurately, fairly without bias, the NUJ Chairman urged politicians in the state to accept constructive criticism from journalists with the view of serving the state better.