Vice President Arc Mohammed Namadi Sambo has said that the Federal
\nGovernment is developing polices that will minimise the risk faced by
\njournalists in the course of their duties.<\/p>\n
The Vice President made this known, during the commissioning and
\nfoundation laying ceremony of the first phase of the NUJ secretariat and
\nInternational institute of Journalism, which held in Mabushi, Abuja.<\/p>\n
The Vice President, who likened the hazards inherent in journalism to that
\nof architecture, observed that Nigerian Journalists needed the
\nestablishment of enduring and effective safety standards to enable them
\nperform their legitimate and the much needed work to keep the citizens
\ninformed.<\/p>\n
To this end the Vice President said \u201cthese policy measures, when
\nimplemented will send a powerful message of support and solidarity for the
\nnewsmen and women who are committed to telling the Nigerian story to
\nNigerians and the rest of the world. Democracy will not take root unless
\npeople have the information they can rely on to make informed choices.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vice President Sambo implored Journalists to always observe the ethics and
\nnorms of their profession, tasking them to take full advantage of the
\nFreedom of Information Act to get accurate and reliable information.<\/p>\n
He said \u201cJournalism as a noble profession has been eulogized as the
\n\u201cfourth estate of the realm,\u201d \u201cThe Watch Dog\u201d, etc.\u00a0 They possess the
\npotential power to influence not only the individual but the society as a
\nwhole.\u00a0 And this influence could be political, socio-economic or cultural.
\nI therefore challenge members of this profession to provide truthful,
\nfair and comprehensive account of events and issues to the citizenry; as
\nsuch enlightenment is a precursor of justice and foundation of democratic
\ngovernance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vice President Sambo commended the NUJ leadership for their efforts to
\nreposition journalism and also for their foresight\u00a0 in putting in place
\npermanent structures for the NUJ secretariat and the International
\nInstitute of Journalism, noting that it was a landmark achievement.<\/p>\n
In his remarks the Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku, commended
\nthe leadership of the NUJ for the project and also commended the Nigerian
\njournalists for their courage.<\/p>\n
The chairman Board of Trustees for the project, Otunba Olusegun Runsewe
\nsaid the project was the first of its kind in Nigeria, adding that the
\nInternational Institute of Journalism is the first in Africa.<\/p>\n
Earlier, the chairman of the NUJ, Mallam Mohammed Garba, while commending
\nPresident Goodluck Jonathan and Vice President Sambo for their untiring
\nsupport to the NUJ and the journalism profession, pledged that the NUJ
\nwould always identify with the administration’s Transformation Agenda.<\/p>\n
He stressed that the NUJ stands for the peace and unity of Nigeria,
\nenjoining journalists to observe the ethics of their profession\u00a0 in
\nreporting issues regarding the National Dialogue.<\/p>\n
The first block which would cost N55million would consist of classrooms, a
\nlibrary, studios and Computer laboratory. The fund raising ceremony for
\nthe project which was graced by the Vice President, was held on June 30,
\n2011.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Vice President Arc Mohammed Namadi Sambo has said that the Federal Government is developing polices that will minimise the risk faced by journalists in the course of their duties. The…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18802,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18801","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n