By Our Correspondent
The Media been a dependable ally of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) towards human rights and humanitarian courses, the commission has pledged to continue to work with other stakeholders to ensure that the country is safe for the practice of journalism.
Executive Secretary of the commission Tony Ojukwu (SAN) made the pledge on Wednesday during a media parley in Abuja
Ojukwu (SAN) noted that safety of journalists has been an issue in the country and elsewhere in the world, adding that some journalists operate under difficult conditions.While commending the media for their role in promoting human rights activities in the country, he urged the media to continue to spread the gospel of human rights to every nook and cranny of the country.
According to him, “As always, the Commission had stood behind any journalists who were incarcerated in the course of their official functions and will continue to toe this line even with increased vigour, given our concern to the security and safety of journalists and other person’s living in the country.”
He also commended the Nigerian Journalists for living up to their constitutional responsibility of holding the government accountable to the people.
He said, “May I seize this occasion to put it on record that despite obvious challenges, the Nigerian Journalists are living up to their constitutional responsibility of holding the government accountable to the people as enshrined in section 22 of the 1999 Constitution as amended.
“There is no gainsaying that the media have consistently kept the public abreast with information on diverse issues, this has not only assisted citizens to demand accountability from the leaders but it has also enhanced citizens’participation in the governance,” he said.
.However, the chairman of Nigeria Union of Journalists, (NUJ) FCT Council, Emmanuel Ogbeche in a goodwill message commended the commission for their quick and prompt response to issues of journalists in the country. He also charged the commission not to relent in it quest to ensure that the environment is safe for journalists to carry out their work with harassment and intimidation.
