The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Federal
Capital Territory (FCT) Council, has urged members of the Presidential Task
Force (PTF) on COVID-19 who were at the burial place of Mallam Abba Kyari, the
late Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, to excuse themselves from
the daily briefing.
In a statement issued on Monday in Abuja, Chairman
of the council, Emmanuel Ogbeche, called on the members of the PTF which
includes the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and National
Coordinator of PTF, Mr. Boss Mustapha, to demonstrate dignified responsibility
not to put journalists and others who attend the briefing in harm’s way by not
attending the briefing.
“Following the protocol already established by the
PTF and the presidency in asking all those who attended the funeral rites for
the late Kyari to self-isolate, the NUJ urges in particular, members of the PTF
who were at the Defence House and Gudu cemetery, to respectfully not attend the
daily COVID-19 briefing until after the 14 days isolation,” the statement read.
Ogbeche said anything other than this would further
cast doubt on the integrity of the PTF, and put the little gains already
achieved in jeopardy.
The FCT NUJ boss advised journalists at the
briefing to protest and possibly stage a walk out if any of the members that
were at any of the rites shows up.
He charged journalists to be responsible for their
safety by wearing appropriate PPEs and not become the news in the search for
news.
According to him, the council was still calling on the
media organisations to provide PPEs and hazard allowance to those covering the COVID-19
crisis, insisting that the union will declare industrial dispute with all
organisations that fail in this regard after the COVID-19 lockdown.
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