The Nigerian Union of Journalist on Sunday, called on the Zamfara State Security Council, headed by His Excellency, Governor Bello Muhammad Matawalle to forthwith rescind its decision to shut down some media organisations in the State.
This is contained in a statement signed by the NUJ National Secretary, Mr Shuaibu Usman after the Commissioner of Information in the State, Ibrahim Dosara in a radio broadcast yesterday, announced the suspension of some media organisations, NTA, Gamji TV, Umma TV and Pride radio (FM) ali based in Gusau the State capital saying they had violated their professional ethics.
According to reports obtained by SpyeTV News, the State Commissioner of Information in the State, Ibrahim Dosara accused the stations of attending and covering a political rally organised by the Peoples Democratic Party-PDP in the State.
According to Dosara, the State Government had suspended all political activities in the State for security reasons, as such journalists are not expected to carry out their professional responsibilities as enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution in Chapter 2 Section 22, which states that “ The Press, Radio, Television and other agencies of mass media Shall at all times be free to uphold the fundamental objectives contained in this Chapter (Chapter 2 of the Constitution) and uphold the responsibility and accountability of the government to the people.”
Nevertheless, NUJ National Secretary, Mr Shuaibu Usman in a statement canter the order saying, for a State Government to arbitrarily override a section of the Nigerian constitution and the National Broadcasting Commission-NBC code, in a democracy like ours, which recognises the role of the mass media, and the freedom of expression for its citizens speaks volume of the level of impunity the county has descended into.
Usman said, "It is instructive to emphasise that the media have a very crucial role to play in monitoring security institutions and their personnel thereby helping citizens to understand what is taking place all the time and to enable them make informed decisions.
"It is therefore counterproductive to attempt to muzzie free and independent media which are key elements in a democracy where they perform important roles as transmission buckles between the society and those who govern", he added.
He noted that the NUJ wishes to remind the Chairman of the Zamfara State Security Council who is the Governor of the State to tread with caution because such ill-timed, hasty decisions taken without due deliberation will only aggravate the already fragile nature of security in the State.
Usman pointed that this development clearly negates the efforts to strengthen peace and restore normalcy in Zamfara State, and to promote democracy and development.
"His Excellency, Bello Matawalle and members of the Zamfara State Security Council should act fast to correct this negative development, taking into consider the fact that freedom of the media is essential in enabling democracy and participative societies", he stated.
