Editors tackle FG, INEC on militarization of forth-coming elections

 President of the Nigeria Guild of Editors, Femi Adesina on Tuesday in Lagos called on government and other stakeholders involved in the conduct of the forth-coming elections to put structures in place to ensure that journalists on election duties are not battered by the security agents.

Speaking on “Promoting Media Role and Citizens Participation In Credible 2015 Elections” at a Media Tweet-a-thon, organized by International Press Center Lagos, Adesina, who  was represented by Bolaji Tunji, Executive Director, Special Duties for The Sun newspaper   said that  media bodies in Nigeria will frown at the militarization of the forth-coming elections.

According to him, the various security agencies should ensure that journalists on elections duties are not harassed, assaulted, intimidated, coarse while carrying other their constitutional duties before, during and after the elections.

In her submissions, Mrs Funmi Komolafe, Assistant Editor, Vanguard newspaper, identified ownership interests, human resources limitations,  trust, and non- payment of salaries, as some of the constraints hindering practicing journalists in Nigeria from working at optimum capacity.

She however advised journalists on elections duties to give equal attention and hear all sides to any issue before publication, so as not to attract libel to their media houses.

Her words: any journalist that trusts politicians or his or her sources are doing so at their own perils as politicians their sources are only interested in using and dumping them.

The Vanguard editor could advised journalists to re-check, cross-check and multi-check information received from politicians or sources before going to press.

Lanre Arogundade, Director of International Press Center, speaking on the code of conduct for elections coverage said that the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria, Nigeria Union of Journalists, Nigerian Guild of Editors, Media Rights Agenda, Nigeria Association of Women Journalists and International Press Center are among the journalism bodies and non-governmental organizations that made valuable contributions to the making of the booklet.

The booklet contained the role of government in protecting journalists covering elections from being harass, intimidated and coarse by security agents, political  parties and politicians respecting the rights of journalists to cover the elections, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC  providing timely and  factual information to journalists, and the journalists being fair, balanced and objective in their reportage of events.