Chairman of the Bayelsa State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Samuel Numonengi, has decried intimidation and harassment of journalists in the country.
He said the trend should be nipped in the bud insisting that journalists are in dire need of support to discharge their constitutional responsibilities.
Numonengi, who spoke at the weekend in Yenagoa, while inaugurating the Solalina Media Chapel of the NUJ, said efforts to gag the press would always be an excercise in futility, as the media in Nigeria were more fortified to withstand any form of oppression and attacks.
He said: “The press should be free. Some people allow themselves to be gagged. That’s the truth. While in some cases, in some areas, the government tend to want to control the Press.
“But as journalist, once you are professional and even the government knows that you carry out your duties effectively without bias, I think that way it would be hard for them to gag you. That’s one thing I’ve come to understand.
“Once we notice that a particular journalist or media house is being gagged and when we know they are professional in carrying out their duties, we would always come out to stand for them.
“So, in Bayelsa, I want to say we are no longer experiencing that issue of media being gagged and I want to hail journalist in the city because I’m beginning to notice that most journalist are being more professional in handling and carrying out their duties”.
The Bayelsa NUJ boss described poor remuneration and lack of adequate working tools as some of the challenges facing journalists in the country.
