2023: NUJ Trains Members on Election Reporting in Nasarawa

Igbawase Ukumba

The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), in collaboration with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), yesterday organised one-day training for journalists in Nasarawa State on election reporting.

Welcoming participants at the training exercise in Lafia, President of the NUJ, Mr. Chris Isiguzo, said that the safety of journalists was of utmost importance, hence the need to have them trained on safety measures of reporting election.

Isiguzo, who was represented by the National Treasurer of the NUJ, Mr. Atunbi Bamidele, reiterated that the safety of journalists was absolutely essential to the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of all citizens as well as the right to development.

He said: “In the course of our work over the years, many journalists had either lost their lives or sustained various degrees of injuries and had their equipment damaged, particularly during election times.”

While expressing worry that nothing was being done to ensure accountability for attacks on journalists and the media across the nation, the NUJ’s president charged various political stakeholders and INEC to work towards minimising the attacks.

In a good will message, the Nasarawa State Resident Electoral commissioner (REC), Mr. Uthman Abdurahman-Ajidagba, commended the NUJ for organising the training exercise, noting that the success of the INEC activities would depend largely on adequate reportage by the media.

He, however, appealed to the media to perform its role as informants and educators, retirerating the commission’s commitment to partner with NUJ to ensure that it conducts free, fair and credible election.