Akwa Ibom Nigeria Union of Journalists will join many in marking 2022 World Press Freedom Day which is celebrated annually on May 3.
A press release issued by the union’s Chairman, Amos Etuk and Chairman, Planning Committee, Grace Udoma says journalists will gather at NUJ Press Centre, Information Drive, Uyo for the global event.
According to the release, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, Minister of Transportation will serve as Special Guest Honour while Dr. Jones Gilbert Ayuwo, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Linguistics and Communication Studies, University of Port Harcourt will deliver the public lecture on this year’s theme: Journalism under surveillance.
Buhari’s message
President Muhammadu Buhari has warned the media to be mindful of sponsored political news or publications capable of inciting hatred, division, violence and chaos in the country ahead of the 2023 general elections.
Read also: World Press Freedom Day: Repair Damages Done By COVID-19 To Our Economic, Social Lives- Buhari
The President, in a release by his spokesman, Femi Adesina, gave this warning Monday in a message to commemorate the World Press Freedom Day.
The President also charged the media to ensure that the electoral umpire and other stakeholders played their roles in delivering free, fair, credible and transparent elections to Nigerians.
He said: “We must stay united in supporting media professionals who work hard to de-escalate violent conflict and promote peaceful societies without compromising the responsibility to report.”
The President equally urged government information managers to ensure that the press and the general public have access to facts and figures of government information, without tears insisting that the government recognised their roles in strengthening democracy.
Lauding the courage and determination of those who daily go the extra time, sometimes at great personal risks, to keep the society well informed, the President reiterated his administration’s commitment to freedom of the press, pledging to continue ensuring the protection of the rights and privileges of journalists in the lawful performance of their professional duties.
While charging the Nigerian Press to use World Press Freedom Day to reflect on the need to embrace the best professional standards and practices, especially in the build-up to the forthcoming general elections, Buhari noted that the free performance of media roles and responsibilities during the electoral process was as important as the sanctity and will of Nigerians, expressed through the ballot box.
However, the theme for World Press Freedom Day this year is ‘Journalism under Internet Siege,’ which focuses on the influence of the digital era on freedom of expression, journalist safety, and information access.
The day was birthed at UNESCO’s General Conference’s 26th session in 1991, when the UN General Assembly declared May 3 as World Press Freedom Day in 1993.
On this day, the Windhoek Declaration, which calls for the establishment of a free, independent, and pluralistic press, was also adopted.
The declaration was a statement of press freedom principles, issued by an African newspaper journalist in 1991.
In recognition of the fact that journalism is under attack today, World Press Freedom Day is observed every year to raise awareness of the number of media outlets that have been restricted, fined, suspended or closed down.
It is observed to encourage everyone to adopt measures to safeguard press freedom and to hold those accountable who suppress freedom of expression.
The day highlights the fact that a free press keeps those in authority accountable, and thus its freedom must be protected.
