NUJ President: Security of journalists paramount to democracy

By Patrick Wemambu

National President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Alhassan Yahya Abdullahi has stated that the security of journalists remains paramount to any healthy democracy, assuring that any attempt to stifle voices of members of the fourth estate of the realm must be met with a resolute response.
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Abdullahi made the statement in reaction to FCT Minister, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike’s threat to shoot Channels Television anchor, Seun Okinbaloye over the latter’s comments that a one-party system was capable of destroying democracy in Nigeria.

“This incendiary comment from a high-ranking government official is not only deeply disturbing but also creates a climate of fear for journalists striving to uphold their professional duties. It sends a dangerous message that critical reporting will be met with hostility and threats of violence, which is entirely antithetical to the spirit of a free and open society,” Abdullahi lamented.

Demanding an unreserved apology from the FCT Minister over what he termed a reprehensible remark, the union helmsman then proceeded to urge the Federal Government to condemn the alleged threat as a way of demonstrating its commitment to protecting journalists and safeguarding independence of the media in the country.

“It is imperative that the government takes concrete steps to ensure that journalists can perform their essential role without fear of reprisal or harm. We urge all media organizations, civil society groups, and advocates for democracy to stand in solidarity against this blatant attack on press freedom,” the NUJ President concluded.

Reacting, however, Lere Olayinka, media aide to the FCT Minister in a release issued which copy was made available to us explained that his boss did not mean the said threat literally.

“The minister never meant that he will shoot Seun Okinbaloye…What the minister meant, which he made clear during the media chat was that he was angry seeing Okinbaloye, whom he hold (sic) in high esteem as a journalist, descending into the political arena by speaking as an interested party, instead of an interviewer,” Olayinka stressed.

Arguing that the statement made by the minister was in hyperbolic context, which was clearly without intent – primarily using exaggeration to make a point – the media aide rationalized that it would become a clear hatchet job for any individual or group to pick the statement out of context and make any issue out of it.

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