The State Minister of Works and Housing, Alhaji Umar El-Yakub,has called on Journalists in the country charged to uphold the ethical principles of Journalism while reporting and covering the forthcoming general elections.
El-Yakub made the call during a closing ceremony of a two-day workshop organized by the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Information Chapel in Kano State for Zonal Information Officers and Area Information Officers.
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He reminded the Journalists of their critical role in keeping the public informed on issues regarding the general elections, pointing out that the Information disseminators and the Media practitioners have to be extra careful while handling delicate issues like elections coverage in a multicultural society like Nigeria.
He similarly urged the Local Government Information Officers to display a high sense of professionalism while updating the public on the situation report of elections and announcement of elections results,saying that people place high premium on the media as the only source of credible information especially during elections period.
The Minister commended the Information Chapel for coming up with the workshop which he said is apt and timely.
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In his speech, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Alhaji Bashir Sani Yola, who was represented by the Commissioner of Information, said the workshop has come at a right time and urged the Information Officers to use what they learned during the workshop for a hitch free elections in the State.
He assured the Information Officers of the Ministry’s support at all the times pointing out that the Commissioner as a professional Journalist has placed high premium on Information Officers and their service at both MDAs and Local Government Levels
In his remark, the State Chairman of the NUJ, Abbas Ibrahim said the workshop opened a new horizon for information Officers to avail themselves with new trends of information technology in elections reportage, highlighting that such initiative of the chapel should be emulated by all other chapels.
In his closing remarks the Chairman of the Information Chapel, Suleiman Abdullahi Dederi said the genesis of staging the workshop is to among others gingered the Information Officers on their significant role before during and after the general elections.
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Papers were presented by resource persons which dwelt on the strategies and modalities of elections coverage and reportage in accordance with ethical principles of Journalism,
Among the resource persons included, Ali M Ali, Dr. Ibrahim Surajo of the Department of Mass Communication, Bayero University, Kano. Ahmad Adamu Maulud of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Kano Office.
