The Correspondent Chapel of the Kano State Council of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) has announced an immediate boycott of all activities related to the Kano State Government.
This decision was made following an emergency congress meeting on Monday, convened by the chapel’s chairman, Aminu Ahmed Garko.
The unanimous resolution was taken in response to what the chapel described as persistent and unacceptable maltreatment of its members by the government and its agents while they discharged their primary assignments.
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“Despite our efforts to engage with the government and its officials to address these issues, we have seen no improvement in the situation,” the resolution stated.
“Members of the chapel continue to face harassment, intimidation, and even physical assault while performing their duties.”
The journalists expressed particular concern over the government’s preference for non-professionals over trained journalists, accusing the state of sidelining those best equipped to handle the job.
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“As a result, we regret to announce that we will no longer participate in press conferences, cover government events, or conduct interviews with state officials until we see a tangible commitment to press freedom and the safety of journalists,” the chapel declared.
The resolution urged all members to comply with the boycott and join the protest against the mistreatment of journalists in Kano State.
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“We believe that a free and independent press is essential to a functioning democracy, and we will not stand idly by while our members are mistreated and intimidated,” the resolution concluded.
Several attempts by Grassroots Parrot to reach out to Governor Abba Kabiru Yusuf’s spokesman, Sanusi Bature, on the allegations were not successful, as he neither picked up phone calls nor responded to our message on WhatsApp as of the time of filing this report on Monday evening.