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Tag: Lanre Arogundade

  • Ondo guber: IPC tasks journalists on professional, safety-conscious coverage

    Ondo guber: IPC tasks journalists on professional, safety-conscious coverage

    As the Ondo state governorship election holds on Saturday, November 16, the International Press Centre (IPC) in Lagos has urged journalists and other media professionals who will be covering the event to adhere to professional standards and prioritise their safety.

    Lanre Arogundade, the Executive Director of IPC, emphasised the importance of this reminder given the vital role that the media plays during elections and the increasing concerns about journalists’ safety in recent times.

    This advice was communicated in a statement released on Friday by Melody Akinjiyan, the Press Freedom Officer at IPC.

    Arogundade said: “Though this election is an off-cycle one, it does not reduce the fact that it still falls under the purview of media electoral responsibility.

    “For the contestants and their gladiators, it is an election, which is by no means of less value than any other election, so the atmosphere within the State where the election will take place will reflect basic and essential activities associated with the conduct of an election.

    Read Also: Ondo 2024: PDP, APC clash on peace accord violation

    “It is therefore very important for journalists covering the election to be guided by the existing ethics of professional coverage of elections as well as to be safety conscious in the discharge of their duties, especially to avoid situations that will put them in harm’s way.”

    Arogundade stated that journalists are expected to remain non-partisan by ensuring objectivity and balance in their election coverage.

    He emphasised that partisanship is not limited to being a member of a political party; it also includes using expressions, impressions, statements, tags, symbols, and colours that suggest an affiliation with a specific political party or personality.

    He also admonished journalists covering the election to be well-kitted.

    He noted: “Journalists who are to cover the election should ensure that they are fully kitted and accredited to do so, to avoid a situation whereby security agencies would have to question them or bar them from performing their duties.

    “Journalists, who are not on election duty, should avoid straying into the identified polling units at will during the stipulated period of the election. At all times, journalists covering the elections must have their identification card and press/media tag displayed to avoid undue harassment and unnecessary identity checks by the security agencies.”

    He also enjoined other stakeholders, especially the security agencies to undertake the performance of their tasks civilly and responsibly.

    Arogundade added: “The security forces should note that the media is a critical part of the electoral process and so the journalists should be accorded due rights and privileges to enable them to carry out their social obligations as partners in enshrining the credibility of the electoral process.

    “The media should be seen as partners in progress and not as adversaries.”

    He said the IPC has a safety and professional advisory to ensure journalists who are covering the elections are fully equipped with safety tools and precautions to engage with while on the field.

  • Nigerian govt urged to create enabling environment for media practice

    Nigerian govt urged to create enabling environment for media practice

    A coalition of media advocacy organizations in Nigeria under the aegis of the Partnership for Media and Democracy in Nigeria (PAMED) has called on the Federal Government to create an enabling environment for media practice in the country.

    The group  made the call in a statement to mark the World Press Freedom Day 2017 signed by Dr. Akin Akingbulu, Executive Director, Institute for Media and Society (IMS) Lanre Arogundade, Director, International Press Centre (IPC) and Edetaen Ojo, Executive Director, Media Rights Agenda (MRA).

    PAMED noted that the legal and policy environment for the practice of journalism in Nigeria was not conducive, adding that there is an urgent need to address the issue to ensure that journalists do not become endangered species in Nigeria.

    The group which said it was  worried at the abysmal state of media freedom in Nigeria, PAMED noted that Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans Frontières RSF), the Paris, France based freedom of expression organization  ranked Nigeria 122 out of 180 countries in its 2017 World Press Freedom Index released on April 16, 2017.

    It described the situation as appalling, noting that the government’s non-challant attitude to investigating attacks on journalists and bringing perpetrators to justice has fueled impunity by perpetrators since they are invariably never brought to justice.

    PAMED said from the murder of Dele Giwa on October 19, 1986 till date, no perpetrator in all the cases of journalists murdered in Nigeria has been apprehended, tried or brought to book as virtually all of them have gone free.

    Observing that the shooting to death at his residence of Mr. Famous Giobaro, a Desk Editor with the Bayelsa State owned Glory FM 97.1in the early hours of April 16, 2017 by unidentified gunmen, was the latest in a series of such incidents, it said that it was tragic that the perpetrators of this heinous act may also never be found or brought to justice.

    PAMED called on the government to make a public commitment to fully implement the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity to stem the ugly tide.

    It also called on the government to take decisive measures to combat impunity for crimes against journalists, including by strengthening UN mechanisms; cooperating with member States; partnering with other organizations and institutions; raising awareness; sensitizing and training security and law enforcement agencies to investigate cases; and fostering safety initiatives.

     

     

  • NUJ Lagos Council organises tribute night for three late journalists

    NUJ Lagos Council organises tribute night for three late journalists

    The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Lagos Council on Friday organised a Candle Light Procession and Tribute Night for three late journalists: Dr Onukaba Adinoyi-Ojo, Mr Kayode Atofolaki and Mr Segun Agbolade.

    The Chairman of the Council, Mr Deji Elumoye, said it was regrettable that the council lost three colleagues.

    He expressed the need for members to key into the comprehensive insurance scheme.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that prayers were offered for the repose of the souls of the deceased.

    “It’s a great loss to the practice of journalism and the country as a whole would miss their contributions especially on the floor of the house and during programme and activities of the state council,’’ Elumoye said.

    He said that with less than N10,000, a journalist could pay the Insurance premium for a year.

    “As we speak, Lagos Council has insured 300 practising journalists. What we are doing for every chapel is to pick three or four people.

    “Individuals can also do on their own,’’ the chairman said.

    “We believe the good God will comfort the families they left behind.

    “We have cancelled the monthly meeting scheduled for tomorrow (Saturday) due to the incidents,’ he said.

    Elumoye said the union would continue to support the widows and the children of the deceased, especially their education.

    He said already the families of Atofolaki and Agbolade had received N100, 000 cheque each.

    A former Chairman of the state council, Alhaji Wahab Oba, urged members to buy into the idea of the insurance scheme because of the nature of the job.

    Oba donated a sum of money for the families of the deceased and the insurance scheme of the NUJ.

    A former Chairman of the council, Mr Dele Odebiyi, described Adinoyi-Ojo as a humble fellow and a brilliant journalist, he worked with in Daily Times.

    Odebiyi said Atofolaki once came up with an idea to write a book on him.

    He described the deceased as a brilliant journalist.

    A former Chairman of the council, Mr Lanre Arogundade, described the deceased as seasoned journalists who performed excellently well during their life time.

    A former President of the Maritime Reporters’ Association of Nigeria (MARAN), Mr Adeleye Ajayi, described Adinoyi-Ojo as a prolific writer.

    Ajayi, also a former National Financial Secretary of the NUJ, said Atofolaki was a comrade, a unionist and an “encyclopedia of journalism’’.

    He said Agbolade was a humour merchant, who combined journalism with music and entertainment.

    NAN reports that Adinoyi-Ojo was a former Managing Director of Daily Times, while Atofolaki and Agbolade were Maritime journalists.

     

  • The Nation scores high in rural poverty reporting

    The Nation scores high in rural poverty reporting

    Nigeria’s Newspaper of the Year, The Nation, has received accolades for coming tops among newspapers that report rural poverty issues.

    A research conducted by the International Press Centre (IPC), in collaboration with World Association for Christian Communication (WACC), showed The Nation had the highest scope of its reports on rural issues/areas with 32.1 per cent.

    The study, which focused on the reportage of six major papers, including The Punch, ThisDay, The Guardian, Vanguard and The Sun for the month of April 2013, also revealed that The Nation had the second highest number of most sympathetic reports, with 95 out of its total 109 reports (87 percent) sympathetic to the cause of the poor.

    Presenting copies of the findings to The Nation’s management on Monday, IPC’s director, Lanre Arogundade described as worrisome, the non-reportage of rural poverty issues by media outfits.

    He urged journalists to as part of their social responsibility, raise awareness on poverty issues such that their reports will influence needed policy changes and reforms in the affected areas.

    He further advised media organisations to develop internal monitoring mechanisms of their editorial performance on the reporting of poverty issues in general and local rural poverty in particular.

    Arogundade said rural poverty reporting should be made an indispensable component of development reporting, adding that it should be made a specialised area or beat.

    “Media institutions should be encouraged to adopt editorial policies and frameworks that espouse the eradication of poverty. The media and civil society platforms working on the eradication of rural poverty should embrace mutually beneficial partnership,” he said.

    Receiving the copies on behalf of the management, Deputy Chairman, Editorial Board, Tunji Adegboyega lauded the group for the feat, just as he tasked the IPC to revamp its activism.

    He noted that although most votes come from the rural areas, the rural dwellers who come rain or shine cast their votes have been denied basic infrastructure.

    “We are in political times and even the people in the rural areas would want to know and read about politics. Although we will continue to strive to report rural poverty issues, I want to also urge the IPC to step up its activism,” he said.

    At the event were The Nation Deputy Editor (Daily), Lawal Ogienagbon and Online Editor, Lekan Otufodunrin.

     

     

     

     

  • Centre seeks protection of journalists’ rights

    The International Press Centre (IPC), Lagos, has urged governments and media stakeholders to protect and respect the rights of journalists.

    In a statement yesterday by its Director, Lanre Arogundade, the centre said the theme for this year’s Human Rights Day was: 20 Years: Working for Your Rights.

    The statement said the theme emphasised the future of people’s rights and identified the challenges ahead.

    The IPC noted that though the 1999 Constitution has provisions for the protection of the right to freedom of expression of journalists and the media, the provisions could not be said to be sufficient, especially if the media were to effectively perform their functions to build and consolidate on the country’s democratic experience.

    It urged the government and media groups to have measures for the protection of journalists from abuse and safeguard them from attacks in their duties.

    “Though the constitution provides some rights for the media, these rights, as provided for in Section 22 of the Constitution, cannot be legally enforced where journalists are obstructed in the process of performing their duties because the whole of Chapter 2 of the 1999 Constitution, where Section 22 is located, is non-justiciable. A journalist whose right has been violated can, therefore, not seek protection of the court, as located in the present 1999 Constitution,” Arogundade said.