Yobe Correspondents boycott Government activities.

Yobe Correspondents boycott Government activities.

By: Yahaya Wakili

The Correspondents’ Chapel, (NUJ) Yobe Statel, in its emergency meeting held on Friday, 28th October, 2022 resolved to boycott all state government’s activities in the state sighting Intimidation and harassment of its members by security operatives attached to the government house.

The Chapel also note that there is lack of formal invitation to government activities by handlers of information in the state.

A statement from the Chapel also reads: “As members of the Fourth Estate of realm, part of our responsibilities is to inform the public on happenings in the state including the government house.

“Regrettably, however, for  over a year of the administration of Governor Mai Mala Buni, the chapel has never received any formal invitation for coverage by the Governor’s spokesman, Alhaji Mamman Muhammed, as it was the practice  in the past.

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“This has negatively affected   the operations of representatives  of national media dailies operating in the State.

“Lack of accessibility to Governor Mai Mala Buni by working journalists in the state.

“The chapel finds it disturbing, that despite the governor’s historic reign as APC Extraordinary Caretaker National Chairman and being a Governor for over 3 years where he has been addressing the Press at Abuja and other parts of the country but never addressed National Dailies in his own state to speak on his  administration’s policies and programmes which demonstrates his inaccessibility to resident journalists.

“The chapel also  resolves that its members are to desist from using press releases issued from Yobe State government without prior contact  with our members.

“The chapel  calls  on heads of security agencies in the state to sensitise their  personnel on media security relation.

“The chapel finds it necessary to take this critical decision,in other to alert relevant stakeholders and appropriate authorities to take decisive action towards addressing the above  issues amicably.

“Finally, the working journalists in Yobe state wish to inform the public and the government of Yobe State  that our action should not be judged by sentiment but on the basis of our position as one of the major stakeholders of our democracy. 

“It is also important to note that the coming election is very critical in our Nation’s democracy and therefore a fatal mistake in an  attempting to circumvent the media.” 

Yobe Correspondents boycott Government activities.