Former Inspector General of Police (IGP), Solomon Arase and the Registrar of National Examination Council, NECO, Prof. Ibrahim Dantani Wushishi, has changed journalists to be credible in reporting issues with national interest.
The former IGP Arase, at the 10th years Anniversary of the Verbatim News Network Limited and the unveiling of the Verbatim newspaper, in Abuja, yesterday, said that journalists must be certain in reporting issues as well as be accurate and balance before publishing during this general election to avoid crisis.
He stressed that the media must make national security topmost in their agenda and they must as a matter of urgency set agenda that unite the nation.
Speaking on the security personnel, he said they maybe not be able to deliver the way, they did in off-season elections but that they are prepared.
IGP Arase also added that credibility is one of the things that singled Verbatim out of many and urged others to emulate them.
“For the media your reportage should be balance, which is why we are celebrating verbatim, they have taken their journalism to a new height of investigation by making sure that the fact are properly spelt out,that is what expect towards 2023 elections.
I want to tell the political gladiators to exercise tolerance, if you lose there are more elections to come and for those who will win, they should be able to spread their hands of fellowship to those who have lost.
“The increase in the number of youths registration, shows that the political awareness is been heighten and that is the way it should be. Since they are becoming more interested, we expect that our politics will be more potent and the issues that we have been talking about will be properly handled.
The security agencies should be impartial, create a level playing field for everyone. We just finished a training for the police across the six geopolitical zones, where issues relating to the election were discussed extensively by experts and we know they are going to perform very well. They have performed very well at off seasoned elections in Ondo, Ekiti. The challenge now is that all the elections are going to take place at the same time, which means the men materials they deployed to those places to make it work may not be there but they are prepared, he said.
The NECO Registrar Dantani Wushishi on his part, said the credible reportage is essential for the unity of the nation.
Speaking on the award given to the council, he said it shows that the council is delivering according to the legal mandate.
He said” I think we have done a lot to merit this award because in the past few years, NECO has been in the news for negative issues but today we are in the news for the good. The institution is key to Nigeria’s development because it is the largest indigenous examination body in Nigeria and even Africa. We have done a lot to ensure that things are done on the legal framework that were used to establish the institution.
“Credible reportage is essential not only for crisis free or secured elections but for a secured Nigeria”
