Hold leaders accountable for good governance, NASU tells journalists

The Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) has urged journalists in the country to hold the nation’s leaders accountable for good governance in line with the constitutional backing of the profession

NASU’s General Secretary, Comrade Peters Adeyemi made the declaration at a capacity building workshop organized by NASU in collaboration with the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Center (CISLAC)  in Ibadan, Oyo State

His words: “We call on journalists in the country to hold the nation’s leaders accountable to good governance because the management of information in the public space in Nigeria is central to the measure of effectiveness and degree of progress that can be generated in a socio-economic and political setting.”

According to Adeyemi, investigative journalists often work in conflict and post-conflict environment or circumstances that are particularly hazardous to their operations and well-being.

“And so, as journalists we cannot continue to amplify the risks associated with the profession to the detriment of our historical and traditional role of serving as society’s compass, directing and guiding it towards noble causes that guarantee maximum public good”.

On the struggle for the actualization of press freedom, Adeyemi noted that the rights and safety of journalists are issues that affect all races of people.

“Working for the media has ever been dangerous in Nigeria as politics, insurgency, militancy, tribal conflicts and other factors hinder press freedom and journalists’ safety in Nigeria,” he said.

“Unarguably, for practitioners of both professions to attain peak performance and optimal effectiveness to hold our leaders to good governance in Nigeria, they most often will need insane courage, steely convictions, unbridled sense of patriotism and a robust instinct to consider self-last always,” he added.

He noted that investigative journalism can only be enjoyed when journalists are free from intimidation, pressure and coercion, whether from political, social, or economic forces.

“Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights guarantees freedom of expression as a fundamental right, and confirms that freedom of expression is essential to the realization of other rights set forth in international human rights instruments”.

Source: Daily Independent