MINISTER CONDEMNS NIGERIAN MEDIA
Mrs Sarah Ochekpe, the Minister of Water Resources on Tuesday condemned the role of Nigerian media because of its unpatriotic reportage of news stories.
The minister said this in Abuja at the opening ceremony of the “Do the Right Thing: Ethics First Programme organised by the National Orientation Agency (NOA) in collaboration with Global Priority U.S.
The programme was designed for the media operators in the country to sensitise them on the need to ensure objective and fair reportage of news.
“Nigerian media has been found wanting because rather than promote unity and peaceful coexistence among the citizenry, it is entangled in the promotion of riot, unrest and other vices.''
“Apart from some of the news content, our journalists are not thorough in terms of investigation which has the capacity to create violence.
“They do hatchet jobs for their paymaster in return for a brown envelop,' she said.
Ochekpe said that the Nigerian media needed value reorientation because Nigerians believed anything that came from the press.
She called on the media to be conscious of the roles they played.
She canvassed for a change of attitude among the media practitioners, while calling on them to always do the right thing in the face of daunting security challenges in the country.
The minister called on the media to improve on its research and investigative skills, adding, “Nigeria is the only country we have and we must do all within our power to protect it.''
She called on the media to make conscious effort at initiating programmes that could sustain the country.
The Minister of Environment, Hajia Hadiza Ibrahim said that the media should be at the vanguard of educating and motivating the public to understand the transformation agenda the president.
She said that the media should report stories that could shape the country and should desist from laying emphasis on negative issues.
Ibrahim said that every Nigerian should be involved in the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan. (NAN)