By Amos Tauna
Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, says it will resist any attempt to truncate democracy in Nigeria.
The union said democracy has come to stay in the country and would use all legitimate means available to members of the Fourth Estate of the Realm to defend the democratic structure.
The National President of NUJ, Abdulwaheed Odusile, made the declaration Wednesday in Kaduna, at the NUJ national colloquium on elections, corruption and roadmap to 2019 organized by the Kaduna council in collaboration with the Pax-Community Partnership Projects, PCPP.
Odusile who stated this as part of his contribution to the theme of the colloquium, “2015 polls: Reminiscence, Lessons, Challenges and Projections” said the colloquium is coming at the right time, in x-raying the 2015 elections to serve as a guide to 2019 elections.
He called on relevant authorities to thoroughly investigate those behind the plans to truncate democracy and punish those that may be found guilty to serve as deterrent to others that may contemplate such in the future.
“The NUJ will resist any attempt to change the present democratic government, we will not allow any attempt to truncate democracy in Nigeria because democracy has come to stay in Nigeria,” he reiterated.
Mr. Odusile who described NUJ Kaduna council as the heartbeat of journalism in Nigeria, tasked Journalists on the need to be guided in their reportage and avoid reports capable of creating crisis in the polity of the nation.
The President commended the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for announcing the 2019 general election dates, which he said would help political parties to prepare ahead of time.
He however called on the electoral body to organize a retreat regarding the activities and monitoring of political parties, suggesting that the media should also be part of such retreat as an arm of government expected to hold the government accountable and monitor it’s activities.
“The government need to create an enabling environment for the media to carry out its constitutional responsibilities, and on this note, the NUJ condemn in totality the demolition of a media outfit in Nasarawa State,” Odusile observed.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Kaduna State council Chairman, Adamu Yusuf also stressed the need to build on the gains of 2015 general elections and sustain the “one-man-one vote” legacy and further ensure the effectiveness of the card reader system to reduce to the barest minimum all acts of election rigging and manipulations.