Vivian Okejeme, Abuja
The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami has urged media practitioners to refrain from fake news, axe-grinding, and sensationalism in its reportage.
Malami, made this statement while giving a keynote address at the 2021 national conference of the National Association of Judiciary Correspondents (NAJUC), Abuja chapter.
ccording to the AGF, achieving good democratic governance is not the sole responsibilities of the judiciary alone, but that of the entire critical stakeholders including the media as the watchdog of the Nigerian public and fourth estate of the realm.
Malami said, the press is expected to give balanced, unbiased and untainted reports of activities unfolding in the society, while the judiciary is to look into issues brought before it for proper adjudication.
The conference is themed, “The role of the Judiciary in achieving good democratic governance”, with “Appraising the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015 five years after”, and, “Independence of the Judiciary and challenges of financial autonomy, the way forward “ as sub-themes.
The minister, who was presented by his Special Assistant, Media and Public Relations, Dr. Umar Gwandu said, “The media, especially those on the judiciary beat have not done badly as cases of deliberate misrepresentation of information, distortion of facts, outright falsehood and undue sensationalism have been reduced to the bearest minimum. To whom much is given, much is expected.’’
Further in his speech, Malami reiterated that the government, under President Muhammadu Buhari is not against criticism.
Never miss a moment! Get the stories shaping Nigeria, delivered straight to your phone. Follow Peoplesdaily Newspaper on WhatsApp for breaking news, exclusive reports, and the headlines everyone will be talking about, before anyone else.
