OSOGBO — The Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Osun State Council, has called on all stakeholders to ensure the safety and security of journalists who will be deployed across the state to cover Saturday’s governorship election.
In a statement by the Chairman, Comrade Adeyemi Aboderin and Secretary, Comrade Olalekan Akindoju, the Council stressed that journalists must be allowed to perform their constitutional responsibility without hindrance.
“Journalists must be allowed to perform their constitutional responsibility of informing the public without intimidation, harassment, assault, arrest, obstruction or any form of interference,” the statement said.
The NUJ therefore called on political parties, candidates, their supporters, security agencies, election officials and other stakeholders to respect press freedom and ensure that journalists are able to move freely and safely while carrying out their professional duties.
The Council also urged journalists covering the election to prioritise their personal safety and exercise caution.
“Journalists covering the election are also urged to prioritise their personal safety, exercise caution in volatile situations, avoid unnecessary confrontation and immediately document and report any incident that threatens their safety or ability to work,” it stated.
In this regard, the Council encouraged journalists to take advantage of the WAFLO WhatsApp-enabled live election incident reporting system deployed by the International Press Centre, IPC.
The system is described as an AI-assisted technology platform designed to facilitate the real-time reporting, documentation and monitoring of incidents affecting journalists and press freedom during the election.
Journalists can access the reporting channel through the Safe Media WhatsApp prompt at https://dub.sh/safemedia, or by typing “safemedia” and sending the text to 0805 877 8053.
The Council urged journalists to make responsible use of the platform by promptly and accurately reporting incidents such as threats, harassment, physical attacks, detention, equipment seizure, denial of access or other forms of interference with their work.
The NUJ Osun State Council further urged security agencies to recognise journalists as essential actors in the democratic process and provide adequate protection for media personnel working at polling units, collation centres and other election-related locations.
The Council also called on journalists to uphold the highest standards of professionalism, impartiality and accuracy throughout the election.
“As Osun goes to the polls, the NUJ calls on all stakeholders to protect the peace and ensure that the election is conducted in an atmosphere where citizens can freely exercise their voting rights and journalists can safely report the process,” the statement concluded.
