By Abdullahi Yusuf
The Correspondents’ Chapel of the Kano State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists(NUJ) has boycotted all activities of the Kano State Government, to protest the mistreatment and harassment of its members by officials of the government.
A statement issued by the chapel’s Chairman,Alhaji Aminu Ahmed Garko, said the decision was taken during the chapel’s Congress meeting held on Monday.
“By the chapel’s Congress decision, all assignments and activities organized by the Kano State Government are hereby boycotted by our members, immediately,”Garko said.
According to him, the decision was taken in response to the persistent and unacceptable mistreatment of members of the chapel by the government and its agents while discharging their statutory assignments.
“Despite our efforts to engage with the government and its agents to address these issues, we have seen no improvement in the situation, as our members continue to face harassment, intimidation, and even physical assault while performing their duties.
“It is particularly more concerning and disheartening that the government has prioritized non-professionals over trained journalists, making it a state policy to sideline those who are best equipped to handle the job.
“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.
“We believe that a free and independent press is essential to a functioning democracy, and we will not stand idle while our members are mistreated and intimidated,” the chapel said.
The chapel, therefore, ordered all its members to comply with this directive “and join us in this protest against the ill treatment of our members in Kano State.”
This development comes at a time the NNPP administration led by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf is celebrating its one-year anniversary which many residents view as less than eventful.
“We expected our government to celebrate its one year in office with pomp and ceremony like we are hearing from other states of the federation,not a low-key anniversary we are having here,” the residents who craved for anonymity,said.