The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has dismissed the purported ban placed on two journalists operating in Ebonyi state by Governor David Umahi from visiting the Government House or any government facility in the state describing it as a joke taken too far by the governor since those facilities are public and not private properties.
The NUJ in a statement by its National Secretary, Shuaibu Usman Leman in Abuja on Wednesday noted that neither the Governor nor any government official could determine media content or stop journalists from holding government accountable.
It reminded the governor that both the Union and respective media organisations had their own procedures of disciplining journalists who stepped out of bounds saying “but certainly we cannot keep quiet in the face of this brazen attempt to muzzle press freedom which is a critical ingredient for democratic governance.”
The Union condemned the continuous desperate action of Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State to destroy Journalists and Journalism in his state adding that the most recent development in which Governor Umahi was instigating attacks against Journalists in the State was frightening to the Union as it signaled clearly that such attacks on the media were not going to abate any soon.
“We regret to note that Governor Umahi is ingloriously attaining notoriety in his continuous harassment, detentions and insults on Journalists who dare to report what he feels are against the interest of his government. As professionals whose responsibility is to monitor governance and hold Government accountable to the masses, Journalists now live in perpetual fear of being arrested by security operatives or attacked by faceless assailants without any just cause in Ebonyi State.
“The NUJ has repeatedly cautioned against such acts of impunity and stressed that it is worth noting that press freedom is key to achieving credible democracy and this freedom includes the right to seek and receive information from all available sources to enable formulation of proper opinions to whomsoever one desires and to do so through whichever means it is feasible to communicate. Such attacks we believe are meant to curtail such freedoms.
“In the light of these unabated attacks and intimidation of Journalists, we call once more on Governor Umahi to tread with caution because the Union will hold him personally responsible for any untoward action on Journalists in Ebonyi State.
“It must also be noted that the purported ban placed on two journalists in the state from visiting the Government House or any government facility in Ebonyi State is a joke taken too far by the governor since these facilities are public and not private property. It should be noted that neither the Governor nor any government official can determine media content or stop journalists from holding government accountable”, it stated.
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