The recent killings, harrasment and intimidation of Journalists in Africa has received condemnation from the Buhari led Federal Government. President Muhammadu Buhari in his keynote address at the opening ceremony of the Congress of Federation of African Journalists in Abuja, on Friday assured journalists of a conducive environment that would boost the job of media practitioners.
The President who was represented by the Minister of information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the Federal Government is committed to the safety of citizens including journalists.
While reading the President’s address he said ‘‘I can report to this Congress that not a single journalist is being detained or harassed in our country today. The government of the day is not a threat to the media, and it is not about to stifle press freedom or deny anyone his or her constitutionally guaranteed rights.
‘Nigeria views the International Declaration for the Protection of Journalists as a positive step, and strongly condemn attacks targeting journalists in the course of their duties.
‘This administration sees the media as a partner in progress, and has never even contemplated harassing, not to mention killing, any journalist.
‘The media represents the eyes and ears of the world. Any attempt to silence it through the harassment, arrests, detention and murder of journalists, is akin to making the world go blind and deaf.”
