Journalists should maximize opportunity of Nigeria Free Safety Symposium—Dr Amaechi

Convener, Nigeria Free Safety Symposium, Dr. Chinyere Amaechi, has urged Journalists to maximize opportunity of Nigeria Free Safety Symposium.

Dr Amaechi made the appeal at the Media Centre for Promotion of Safety Awareness (MCPoSA) organized event which took place at the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Alausa-Ikeja Lagos State on November 2, 2024.

The Theme of this year’s symposium was “Safety of Journalists in Crises/Emergencies and Role of Risk Assessment in Safety.”

She disclosed that November 2 is the International Day to end Impunity for Crimes against Journalists (IDEI), a UN-recognised international day observed annually. “The day draws attention to the level of impunity for crimes against journalists, which remains extremely high globally. So this symposium we hold it every year to mark this day.”

She said the Nigerian Symposium for Journalists has been sustained against all odds, adding that it has been in existence for the past 10 years and thanked United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) for their sponsorship.  She said, “So far so good, with a grateful heart I thank God, it has been sustained against all odds, UNESCO has been our sponsors, it is okay and we appreciate them and they have been consistent, we have not missed any year, even during the Covid period we have been there, the only snag I have is the target audience, the journalists, they are hardly there and this thing is for their benefits. Imagine the crop of professionals we gathered here to talk to them and it is just a handful of them that attended the event.”

Dr Amaech talked about other issues that bother journalists which include welfare and insurance. “The international community is talking about impunity, in our own country we know impunity is at its peak, it is not the most important thing, welfare is an important aspect of it; care for the journalists is an important thing, your salary is an important thing, your wellbeing, your insurance, they are all important, your protection, they are all important before we come to impunity, they kill them, they manhandle them with impunity.  So November 2, was chosen because it was the day two French Journalists were killed in Mali.

She expressed dismay that journalist are known to fight for others but hardly fight for themselves. “She said journalists are known to fight for the interest of other but not theirs.”

Dr. Fyneray Mbata, Vice Chairman, MCPoSA Board of Trustees, stated that the event was hosted every year to heighten the awareness that is needed for the protection of journalists as they go about their duties. “It is something good they go out and comeback safe with hazards and the exposures. We have heard stories that some of them are kidnapped, some of them exposed to road transport accidents, some of them killed in crossfire trying to capture stories for us, so it is important to heighten the awareness and also look at mitigations. What can we do to protect their lives so that they would not be exposed to these hazards?

Chief Bart Ike, a retired Customs Officer, stated that safety is an issue everyone has to address. “Everybody needs safety. I hear someone talk about risk assessment and all that, but if you look at it critically, sometime people prefer to take risk rather than normal environment; because they believe if there is no risk there is no money. I remember when I was young those days, one of my resource officers said, if you are posted for example at Seme which government tagged as a risky border station, still people would like to go there, but if you are posted at a training school, people frown at it, so what am I saying? Risk is very paramount. Everything you are doing is risk, and without risk you cannot be wise, you cannot even have the next level.

“The same thing as the journalists, it is not everything you bring to the open, in intelligence there is what they call need to know; every job risk is involved, no matter whatever you are doing, at times you prefer those risks that the non-risk.

“So I have been following these organization and they are doing something good, it is even something government should come in and sponsor.

Resource persons at the event include Bamidele Agadumo, a renowned Broadcast Journalist with a combined working experience of 24 years; Silva Emeka Okereke, a former Secretary of the Lagos State Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists, and a National Trustee of the union, representing Zone B, (South West) NUJ. He was one of 4 journalists kidnapped in Abia State in 2010 on their way from media engagement in Abia State; Superintendent of Corps, Abolurin Olueaseun Olumide, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Lagos State command; among others.