When Journalist becomes news: Cases of Abati, Oseni, by Ernest Osogbue

With the traffic infraction saga involving Arise Morning Show co-host, Rufai Oseni, being resolved, it is pertinent to look back and point out valuable lessons that need to be learned. As the incident unfolded, it emerged that his colleague, Reuben Abati, was equally involved in a back-and-forth with the irrepressible Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State.   The whole episode must have been frustrating to the management of the Arise News Channel, under whose umbrella the flagship programme: “Arise Morning Show,” is produced.   There is nothing more embarrassing to…

Brutality: Journalist Floors Police, GTB At Appeal Court

The Appeal Court in Abuja on Tuesday affirmed the judgment of High Court of Federal Capital Territory in a fundamental human rights enforcement suit filed against the Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) and the Nigerian Police Force by Abuja based journalist and publisher of FreshNEWS Online Media, Desmond Utomwen. Utomwen, a former staff of TheNEWS Magazine, had dragged the Bank and the Police to court over his molestation at the Area 3, Garki Abuja branch of GTB on 11th December, 2009.   The journalist had gone to the bank to cover…

WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY:Gov Ortom salutes courage of Nigerian Press ,calls for subsidies,import waivers for media equipment

Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom has commended the courage and resilience of the Nigerian Press in the sustenance and promotion of the tenets of Democracy in the country. Governor Ortom in a goodwill message to commemorate this year’s World Press Freedom day said credit must be given to the Press for the enduring democracy and its resilience in the face of daunting challenges to continue to inform, educate and entertain the populace. The United Nations General Assembly declared May 3, every year to celebrate the media and appreciates the importance…

TORDUE SALEM : Dabiri-Erewa condoles with family, NUJ, NASS, others

Chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM),Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has described the sudden death of a promising journalist, Mr Tordue Salem, as very sad and worrisome. In a condolence message personally signed by her, she described the late Tordue Salem whom she worked closely with during her sojourn in the House of Representatives from 2003 to 2015, as very hardworking, easy going and a go-getter Journalist among his peers. She said that though her three-term tenure lapsed since 2015, the late Tordue and her still kept In touch , recalling that…

Kogi Gov condoles family of Vanguard Reporter, NUJ … tasks security agencies on thorough Investigation

Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello has expressed sadness over the unfortunate death of Vanguard Reporter, Henry Tordue Salem who has been missing since October 13. The body of Tordue, who has been missing since the night of October 13 was found at a morgue in Wuse General Hospital on Thursday. The governor in a statement issued on Saturday by his Chief Press Secretary, Onogwu Muhammed, commiserated with the family of the late journalist, the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) and the House of Representatives Press Corps over the sad…

No place for enforced disappearance in modern history, find Tordue Salem— NHRC tells Police

The Executive Secretary, National Human Rights Commission, Tony Ojukwu Esq has called on the Nigerian Police and other law enforcement agencies to do everything within their powers to locate Tordue Salem, a journalist who reportedly went missing on the 13th of October, 2021 in the Federal Capital Territory Abuja. NHRC Boss expressed sadness over the news of the National Assembly Correspondent who has been missing for the past 14 days. He said there was no place for enforced disappearance in modern history, described the act as one of the worst…

Editors and the long struggle against Media Chain By Chido Nwakanma

IN Uneven Steps, Lanre Idowu brings the skills of a historian and a raconteur to offer two books in one. While the overt purpose is to recount the journey of the Nigerian Guild of Editors from inception to date, the author includes a significant aside on Nigerian Media Law being the media’s fight against the suffocating chains of repression and censorship.The double offer makes this book a significant and irresistible contribution to Nigerian media literature. Uneven Steps adds to the growing literature in two areas: Nigerian media history generally and…

I haven’t urinated freely for two years,ailing Journalist, Walter Ukaegbu cries out for help

An Abuja based journalist, Walter Ukaegbu who has been down with kidney failure has called on well meaning Nigerians home and abroad to come to his aid and not to let him die. Ukaegbu whose health has deteriorated has been on dialysis since 2018 and he need the sum of N9 million to run a kidney transparent to ever step on his feet again. The journalist said he has spent N5million on the ailment in the past five years excluding many pint of bloods he has bought in the process.…

Press Council Bill: Presidency, Reps set to ‘ground’ newspapers

There are fears that a bill seeking to amend the Nigeria Press Council (NPC) Act will lead to the death of serious newspapers in Nigeria if it scaled through the two chambers of the National Assembly and finally assented to by President Muhammadu Buhari.   Strong voices against the bill said on Thursday at a public hearing in the House of Representatives that some provisions in the proposed amendment to the APC Act would make it difficult for the media houses to operate in an atmosphere of freedom and hold…

2021 WPFD : Ojukwu celebrates Nigerian journalists, charges them to be courageous, patriotic ,uphold truth

As Nigeria joined the rest of the world Community to commemorate the 2021 World Press Freedom Day (WPFD), the National Human Rights Commission has extolled the conduct of the Nigerian press for exhibiting a high level of professionalism despite alleged intimidation and harassment by some members of the society. The Executive Secretary of the Commission, Tony Ojukwu who gave this commendation at the eve of this year’s celebration of WPFD noted that majority of journalists in Nigeria have severally lived up to their professional duties to unearth wrongdoings in the…