Chris Isiguzo, President, Nigerian Union of Journalists, has condemned the attack on journalists and media practitioners in the fallout of the EndSARS protests across the country.
Isiguzo shared his condemnation while speaking at one day webinar on the Role of the Media in Good Governance which was organized by Friedrich Ebert Stiftung and Media Rights Agenda.
Isiguzo said the attacks on media outfits was totally unacceptable and called on the government to investigate the attacks
The NUJ president highlighted the unfavourable climate that the Nigeria media operates which prevents it from performing its duties of promoting good governance.
He stressed that the Nigerian government has roles to play to support the media to enable it operate freely.
Edetaen Ojo, Executive Director, Media Rights Agenda who moderated the session explained that the Nigerian constitution has bestowed the responsibility of holding the government accountable to the media.
“It is the task of the media to highlight and make prominent the duties and obligations of the government to the people
“The Constitution completely removes responsibility for monitoring, enforcing or ensuring compliance with the provisions of Chapter 2 from all institutions of government, including the courts whose traditional role that is, and vests this responsibility in the media,” he added.
Lekan Otufodunrin, Executive Director, Media Career Development Network, who spoke during the webinar urged the media to maintain its standards despite high demands from members of the public.
Otufodunrin said, “it seems the society does not understand what the media is expected to do, often times, they expect the media to report issues as they appear on social media
“We are guided by principles and ethics,” he added.