The Kogi Council of the Nigeria Union of journalists(NUJ), says it will not offer itself to be used by politicians having an axe to grind with the state government.
“We won’t be a propaganda tool for opposition figures; no one should drag journalists into a propaganda that seeks to paint the Kogi government in bad light,” Alhaji Ademu Seidu, its chairman, said on Wednesday in Lokoja.
Seidu was referring to a report quoting the state’s information commissioner Kingsley Fanwo, as calling for the sack of National Security Adviser(NSA), Mr Nuhu Ribadu.
“The report is very unfortunate and disturbing. It is fake,” he said.
“The fake report claimed that Fanwo called for the sack of the NSA while addressing journalists in Lokoja. That is untrue and embarrassing.
“The sole motive of the fabricators of the fake news is to cause disaffection between the state government and the office of the NSA. Truth is, there was no such interview granted to journalists in Kogi.
“Even if it was a press statement, journalists in Kogi, who should be the first recipients, are aware of the channels of distribution of such. Nothing close to this fake news was circulated,” he said.
The chairman challenged the purveyor of the false report to provide an evidence, especially since no medium, aside his, captured the report.
“It is necessary to warn politicians, who want to malign their political opponents for whatever reasons, to stop dragging journalists into their game.
“The fabricators of the fake story are oblivious of the strong synergy between the state government and the office of the NSA.
“The synergy led to the release of the kidnapped students of the Confluence University of Science and Technology, Osara.
“It is on record that Kogi government did issue a statement signed by information commissioner eulogizing the NSA for his roles in the release of the kidnapped students.
“He also praised the NSA for other security interventions in the state soon after the students were released.
“We are newsmen and can’t speak for the state government, but we have a responsibility to clarify to the general public that Fanwo did not hold any interactive session with journalists on this subject matter,” he said. (NAN).
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