Soludo’s Government Relegating Journalists, Says NUJ Chairman

Dr. Odogwu Emeka Odogwu, Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists Anambra State Council, has declared unequivocally that the government of Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo does not collaborate with journalists in the state.

Odogwu, who made this unequivocal statement at the Godwin Ezeemo International Press Centre Awka during a one-day conference titled “Investigative Journalism: Leadership, Accountability, And Stewardship For Sustainable Development,” said there was a need for the current administration to carry journalists along for them to accurately report government policies, programmes, and projects.

He believed that investigative journalism could not be accomplished if government officials refused interviews about their programmes and operations.

The one-day conference, which served as a platform for some members of the Soludo cabinet and other officials to account for their stewardship thus far, also provided the Chairman with ample opportunity to re-emphasise the critical need for a robust partnership and collaborations with the current administration, as journalists, according to him, are moral barometers of society as well as channels for information dissemination.

“The essence of journalism is for a better society, and my mantra is whatever we can do to support the state government to ensure that their jobs are done well, we will certainly do as members,” added the Chairman.

As members of the 4th Estate of the Realm, it is of no use for us to be in a cantankerous relationship with any of the three arms of government.

We must watch the three arms as watchdogs, not as lapdogs. We can never be lapdogs. We must be watchdogs and we will do everything humanly possible to support them in every way can to ensure that they do their jobs better but that does not also mean that we will be lapdogs or any other thing apart from being watchdogs.

We are organizing events that will help them come up and speak to society for us to equally get their mindsets and report them very well for society to get feedback on what the government is doing for them. ”

The Anambra NUJ Chairman however expressed satisfaction at the account of stewardship rendered by government officials present at the one-day conference, stressing that a lot of revelations were made concerning government programmes and projects.

” That’s why we are telling them to partner us and show us that we are the members of the 4th Estate of the Realm. It will be of no use to them if we write what we don’t know. We should be informed of what is happening in government to enable us to report accurately for the society to be better.” Odogwu stated.

According to him, Anambra is now a signatory to the Open Government Partnership (OGP) which therefore implies that information must be available to journalists to work with for them to report accurately and not based on hearsay or imagination.

Odogwu therefore encouraged government officials to be free to partner with media workers and journalists for a better society even as he expressed concern that the present administration is not partnering with journalists at all.

He said, ” They are not partnering with us at all. They are not partnering with the media at all but that is why we are requesting them to partner with us.

I am impressed with the government officials who spared time out of their busy schedules to come and address us on the goings on in their respective ministries, departments, and agencies. It is a new order; a new era and a new beginning of partnership with the state government.”