By John Dike, Osogbo
The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Osun State Council, has called on all stakeholders to guarantee the safety and security of journalists who will be deployed across the state to cover Saturday’s governorship election.
In a statement jointly signed by the Chairman of the Council, Comrade Adeyemi Aboderin, and the Secretary, Comrade Olalekan Akindoju, the union stressed that journalists must be allowed to carry out their constitutional responsibility of informing the public without intimidation, harassment, assault, arrest, obstruction or any form of interference.
The Council urged political parties, candidates, their supporters, security agencies, election officials and other stakeholders to respect press freedom by ensuring journalists can move freely and safely while carrying out their professional duties during the election.
The NUJ also advised journalists covering the poll to prioritise their personal safety, remain cautious in volatile situations, avoid unnecessary confrontation, and promptly document and report any incident that threatens their safety or ability to work.
To strengthen the protection of media practitioners, the Council encouraged journalists to make use of the WAFLO WhatsApp-enabled live election incident reporting system deployed by the International Press Centre (IPC).
According to the statement, the AI-assisted platform is designed to facilitate real-time reporting, documentation and monitoring of incidents affecting journalists and press freedom during the election.
Journalists can access the reporting channel through the Safe Media WhatsApp prompt at https://dub.sh/safemedia� or by sending the text “safemedia” to 0805 877 8053.
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The Council urged media practitioners to make responsible use of the platform by promptly and accurately reporting incidents such as threats, harassment, physical attacks, detention, seizure of equipment, denial of access, or any other form of interference with their work.
The NUJ further appealed to security agencies to recognise journalists as essential actors in the democratic process and provide adequate protection for media personnel working at polling units, collation centres and other election-related locations.
It also charged journalists to uphold the highest standards of professionalism, impartiality and accuracy throughout the election.
“As Osun goes to the polls, the NUJ calls on all stakeholders to protect the peace and ensure that the election is conducted in an atmosphere where citizens can freely exercise their voting rights and journalists can safely report the process,” the statement added.
