Hold political office holders accountable — University don tells journalists

Professor Lukman Adeshina Azeez of the University of Ilorin has tasked Nigerian journalists to hold political officeholders accountable.

Delivering a lecture at the grand finale of the 2024 Press Week programme of the Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Kwara State, at Diamond Hall, Ilorin, on Thursday, he charged journalists to monitor and investigate all forms of corruption.

Speaking through a representative, Oluwakemi Akerele, Professor Lukman also complained about the challenges confronting Nigerian journalists, including poor remuneration and insecurity, among others.

He, however, charged journalists in the country to discharge their duties with all truth and credibility.

In his speech, Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, who was represented by his special adviser on strategy, Malam Saadu Salaudeen, said in the last five years, the state government had created a conducive environment for journalists to operate.

“Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq has turned around the state media houses, with working journalists appointed to man them as general managers.

“The government will continue to partner with the chapel’s NUJ council, for the overall development of the state,” he declared.

The chairman of the Correspondents Chapel, Akeem Garba, asserted that good governance only thrives when paired with effective journalism.

“As journalists, we are expected to expose the truth, promote transparency and accountability, hold leaders accountable for their actions and amplify their achievements, among others,” he said.

Garba also called on the national leadership of the union to hearken to the call and cries of the members nationwide to revive the moribund insurance cover for the members as media houses are not exempted from the current economic crunch; hence, publishers and media owners should give priority to the idea of insurance for members.

The chapel chairman also called on the National Assembly to immediately make a law making it a crime for any journalist to be attacked while performing his or her legal duties.