The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), has described journalism practice around the world an inestimable partner to nation-building as the Commission on Tuesday launched a two-day capacity training for journalists and the staff of the Commission to enable them to understand the safety mechanisms which they need to survive in any situation.
The capacity training for journalists which was declared open by the Executive Secretary of the Commission, Chief Anthony Ojukwu SAN, in Abuja Tuesday, in a speech where he described men of pen profession as the unsung fourth realm of the estate who he said have played a pivotal role in nation-building at the expense of their lives.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria and the boss of the National Human Rights Commission expressed regrets on the hazards associated with journalism practice around the world and insists all hands must be on deck in protecting the rights and safety of journalists at all times. He said only in doing this that media practitioners could execute their constitutional duty without fear and favour in line with principles of press freedom as guaranteed by the extant laws of the land.
His words: ”Despite relevant constitutional guarantees, and legislations, there are situations in the country where freedom of expression and the press, as well as journalists’ safety, are violated and trampled upon for no just cause.
“The culprits in such circumstances could be state or non-state actors or individuals who are not comfortable with the outcome of certain investigative journalism, usually carried out by the press in line with their mandate of holding the government, and by extension public officers accountable to the people.
“It cannot be gainsaid that the safety of journalists has been a growing concern in the country and elsewhere in the world, given that some journalists operate under difficult conditions where freedom of expression and the press is relegated to the background.
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“In such climes, the issue of censorship, harassment, unlawful arrest, detention and assassination are not uncommon.” He laments.
On the mandate of the commission in the protection of the rights of the citizens at all times, Ojukwu said that the commission will not rest on its oars until the rights of every Nigerian, including media practitioners, are guaranteed, hence the capacity training organized by the Commission to sensitize newsmen and the relevant staffs of the Commission on efficiency and safety mechanisms given the hazards associated with their job:
“On our part as a commission, saddled with the responsibility of protecting the rights of the citizens, including journalists, we will continue to engage with stakeholders to ensure that human rights are adequately protected at all times.”He stressed.
Ojukwu further stated, “This training will no doubt present another opportunity for media practitioners and experts in the field of Mass Communication to rob minds on hazards of the journalism profession and how to navigate through them, and still come out stronger as the mirror of the society.
“Given the foregoing, capacity building training like the one we are witnessing today is very crucial because journalists who are the agent of change and promoters of good governance should be exposed to capacity building training to enable them to understand the safety mechanism which they need to survive in any situation and pragmatically discharged their duty effectively.
“Unfortunately, cases are bound where some Nigerian journalists have lost their lives in the line of duty, owing to alleged excesses of some unscrupulous state actors and in some other cases, non-state actors, who may be pursuing some selfish interests.
“The Commission has always enjoyed a robust partnership with media houses and this has assisted us in keeping the public abreast of our programmes and activities. This training is designed as a give-back corporate social responsibility on the part of the Commission to journalists. This is because we valued the partnership between us.
“In designing the template for this training, issues about conflict reporting, the hazard of journalism, the new media and the challenge of freedom of expression, communication and safety rule for journalists were carefully included.
Incidentally, the above concerns highlighted in the training outlined about journalism practice relate to this year’s World Press Freedom Day celebration, “Journalism Under Digital Siege”.
“The theme is apt as it seeks to bring to the fore, “the impact of the digital era on the freedom of the Press, the safety of journalists and access to information and privacy.
“A segment of the training is adapted to focus on the uses of social media in promoting human rights, public speaking, news writing and reporting. This will present another opportunity to sharpen the skills of the journalists and staff of the Commission.
“One of the topics of this training focuses on social media which has indeed made a tremendous impact in the field of communication globally, becoming the choice of many and changing the landscape with unimaginable traffic in information.
“I believe that with this training, the staff of the department and our friends in the media profession will be better informed and prepared to seamlessly carry out the assignment, thus contributing their quota towards taking the Commission to a greater height, and by extension helping to build a better Nigeria where the rights of every person are respected.
“For the participants, after the training exercise, I expect nothing short of improved performances from us all, because to whom much is given much is expected.“You are expected to put into practice what skills or knowledge garnered from this training, bearing in mind the saying, “practice makes perfect.
“I, therefore, call on every participant to make judicious use of any opportunity to build your capacity and contribute your quota towards realizing the mandate of the Commission.” Ojukwu appeals.
