Warri NUJ boycotts Delta State Government activities

The Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists in Warri, Delta State on Monday announced a total boycott of all Delta State Government activities.

This was contained in a communique issued after its monthly Congress held on Monday in Warri, Delta State.

The Congress, held at the Warri Correspondents Chapel Press Centre, Warri, Delta State, in a unanimous decision, barred its members from using press releases from the government and to boycott all government activities in the state since the state government decided to be evasive with its policies, programmes and actions.

The Congress berated the state government over its failure to give proper account of its activities to the people, especially in Delta South and Delta Central Senatorial Districts, which falls within the jurisdiction of the chapel.

The communique, jointly signed by the Chairman and Secretary of the chapel, Comrades Victor Okpomor and Dele Fasan, as well as the members of the Communique Drafting Committee: Comrade Joe Ogbodu, Sylvester Idowu and Ebenezer Adurokiya, expressed the frustrations of newsmen in meeting up with the expectations of their headquarters in terms of reporting the state government.

The Congress decried a situation whereby journalists from the chapel are kept in the dark as to government functions and activities within these senatorial districts.

The Delta State Government appeared far from the people in Warri, the Congress lamented, saying: “That there were a lot of issues that needed government’s attention that were left unattended to.

:What the Delta Government is good at is to keep churning out press releases upon press releases about issues and programmes bordering on governance in the state with journalists not given an ample opportunity to ask first-hand questions.

“The Congress has been inundated with series of calls and accusations alleging compromise on the part of journalists covering this part of the state over failure to acquaint the government with the plight of the people especially in the area of some abandoned and neglected projects.

“Since we’re not accessible to government’s policies, challenges and programmes except what is contained in its press releases, we’ve been finding it difficult to meet the expectations of the people.

“Information managers of the state government, who are supposed to acquaint the people with updates of its activities, appear evasive making the job cumbersome for members of the fourth estate of the realm.”