NGF backs journalists’ role to hold leaders accountable

Mr Abubakar Jibia, an Executive Director of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), has said that they organise training for journalists to help them perform their constitutional role of holding public office holders to account.

He stated this in Abuja at a two-day training for journalists on “Budget Tracking and Data-Driven Journalism” which ended on Friday.

He said the NGF organised the training in conjunction with

Premium Times to help journalists achieve the objective of Section 22 of the Amended 1999 Constitution on the obligation of the mass media which provides that: “The press, radio, television and other agencies of the mass media shall at all times be free to uphold the fundamental objectives contained in this Chapter and uphold the responsibility and accountability of the Government to the people.”

“We are ready to help you do the job as you are supposed to do it by doing accurate reportage,” he said.

The NGF DirectorGeneral, Asishana Okauru, underscored the need to embrace professionalism while carrying out journalistic activities.

“We need to meet to professionalise your profession, we need credibility. We need to understand the risks journalists take every day; it’s as risky as the police officer’s. But you need to be sure before you send anything out there,”

Okauru said.

The Editor-in-Chief of Premium Times, Musikilu Mojeed, advocated ‘Solution Journalism’ to check abuse of office by public officials.

Mojeed, who said investigative journalism is not all about the prosecution and jailing of government officials who have enriched themselves with public funds, implored journalists to use their position to also report good stories on organisations that have done well.