The Rivers State Chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, says this year’s World Press Freedom Day should be dedicated to Journalists all over the world that had paid the supreme sacrifice for the survival of humanity.
In a press statement issued and signed on behalf of the ACN, the Spokesman for the party, Jerry Needam, JP noted with dismay that at no time in the history of society had the lives of Journalists been subjected to the degree of indignation and attacks than in the present era.
Jerry Needam regretted that in Nigeria alone, scores of Journalists have been killed by armed gangs and members of the dreaded Islamic Sect, Boko Haram this year, yet same newsmen are expected to ensure that Justice and equity reign in the country by exposing such evil anywhere it is detected.
The ACN Spokesman noted that the democracy in place in Nigeria today would not have been possible without the dogged and selfless sacrifice made by the press which has now become to an object of attack by same society it fought hard to protect.
“It’s ingratitude of the highest order that Journalists should be paid back with evil for the good they did to all”, Jerry Needam lamented.
He therefore enjoined Journalists across the country to use the World Press Freedom Day for prayers against the senseless war and threats of further attacks on the media by the terrorist groups, sensitize all media workers on the need to be at alert and more security conscious as well as for the security agencies to provide cover for the media men in Nigeria.
The ACN Spokesman, Jerry Needam also commended the Nigerian Journalists for their patriotism and doggedness in the face of all odds, stressing that the Freedom of Information Law (FOI) and the subsisting democracy in the country are some of the gains of their efforts and great sacrifice.
Urging them not to be deterred by the ignorance of a few enemies of the society, Jerry Needam expressed optimism that the indignation is but for a short while, saying that the media has already won the battle and cannot be denied its noble pride of place in our society.
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