Journalists boycott govt activities in Plateau
From Mariam Aleshinloye-Agboola, Jos
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Journalists in Plateau State have resolved to boycott the activities of the state government over Governor Jonah Jang’s inability, in the past four years, to meet with journalists and explain to the world why the crises in the state have continued unabated.
A statement signed by the chairman of the chapel, Mr. Yemi Kosoko and the Secretary, Seriki Idinoyi said the decision was taken at the end of an emergency meeting in Jos yesterday. It stated that the journalists, particularly the Correspondents’ Chapel, had expressed disgust at the experience of continually counting corpses and visiting grave sites of victims of endless sectarian violence in Jos and its environs and threats on their lives on daily basis, while the state government appeared unconcerned and indifferent to their plight.
“We are appalled by the governor’s insensitivity to the plight of journalists in the state. Just recently, some of our colleagues were attacked while covering the crises in Riyom but nobody showed any concern.”
The statement also decried the situation where the governor had consistently shunned journalists and failed to appreciate the essence of meeting with them to explain the crises and unnecessary bloodletting during his tenure and to reassure citizens of the state that there was still hope and confidence in the Plateau project.
The chapel demanded an explanation from the governor on his claim during a stakeholders’ meeting that he released N1 million monthly to journalists in Plateau, insisting that the governor should mention to whom such money was released as this was causing embarrassment to the members.
“Accordingly, the chapel calls on its members to henceforth boycott all government activities, including crisis-prone areas around the state, for their own good and the protection of the lives of their families. Enough of this insensitivity!” it maintained.
