The Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) held its fourth quarterly Standing Committee meeting on Saturday in Abuja to deliberate on matters affecting the media and the nation at large.
A communiqué signed by its President, Garba Deen Mohammad, and General Secretary, Victoria Ibanga, states that the meeting called for a thorough investigation of media involvement in the ongoing investigation and prosecution of those involved in the arms scandal traced to former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd).
The full communiqué states as follows:
- The Guild notes the efforts of the Federal Government to recover stolen public funds and commends the courage behind it, while urging the government to respect the fundamental human rights of the suspects in the process.
- The Guild asks Government to thoroughly investigate every corruption case and pursue same diligently and to logical conclusion.
- It advises Judges to be circumspect in granting injunctions and be more painstaking in the adjudication of corruption cases.
- The Guild warns state governments not to renege in the payment of the N18,000 minimum wage and urges them to improve on their internally generated revenue, reduce the cost of governance and ensure due process in the award of contracts.
- The Guild is alarmed by the downward slide of the Naira which is impacting negatively on the purchasing power of Nigerians and wants the Federal Government to diversify the country’s revenue base to shore up the value of the national currency.
- The Guild notes with concern the perennial fuel scarcity in the country and call on the Federal Government to find a lasting solution to the problem.
- The Guild reiterates its warning against any attempt to gag the press or tamper with the freedom of expression of Nigerians. It therefore tasks the Senate to retrace its steps with respect to the Frivolous Petitions Bill which is against the freedom of the press and urges the National Assembly to expunge Section 24 of the Cyber Crime Act which is considered to be more obnoxious than the Frivolous Petitions Bill.
- The Guild calls for thorough investigation into the circumstances leading to the involvement of some media executives in the payments from the office of the former National Security Adviser in the interest of fairness and justice.
